Sludge at ECR
Now the ECR's board is issuing bonds totaling $115 million to update its water treatment plant that will include a pelletizer plant that converts sludge into pellets that can be sold and used as fertilizer. By building their own pelletizer plant at a cost of $24 million, the ECR says it will save us $200,000 a year every year for twenty years from what the SWA charges and allow us to have control over costs. The SWA disagrees.
Palm Beach County owns 34%.
West Palm Beach controls 29%
Lake Worth has 18%
Riviera Beach with 11%
Palm Beach has 7%
West Palm Beach and one of its commissioners, Shanon Materio, want more answers and have yet committed to it with Riviera Beach and Palm Beach saying "yes." At last week's Lake Worth city commission meeting it was suggested that Lake Worth could be the swing vote on this $24 million decision as it takes 3 votes to proceed no matter the percentage owned. Can you imagine Lake Worth being a swing vote for anything?
As we never hear anything about the ECR, it's time.
I have been watching this being played out in W.P.B. for several weeks now. It greatly effects Lake Worth. Commissioner Materio is right on with this issue. All she has been asking for is answers to quetions that she sees as important to make an educated decision on spending this money.She wanted a presentation from SWA and it did not happen. She has been stymied at every turn. Maybe the Lake Worth representatives will ask the right questions and get some answers.
ReplyDeleteEvery elected official had better ask the tough questions before committing to $24 million. I would like to see the presentation.
ReplyDeleteLake Worth's commission should have asked a few tough questions before spending $40 million on an R.O. plant. Are our water rates lower? NO
ReplyDeleteDoes the water taste better? NO
Are there new residents and businesses lining up to move to Lake Worth because "we" have "control" over "our" water (as predicted right here by this blog)? NO.
What you wrote is totally false.
ReplyDeleteI had to LMAO when I read that the city of LW could in fact be the swing vote on water plant expansion. It's funny but really it's scary to think that it could come to that. Nothing good will come of this.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you are aware that either Wellington or Royal Palm is also building a pellet plant out west and not to mention that the Solid Waste Authority has been making waste fertilizer for a very long time and at present is building or expanding a plant at the nth Street location . SWA use to make big money back in the day when it would sell Disney World about 6 tractor trailers per day of waste to fertilizer until Disney made their own plant .
ReplyDeleteThe waste to fertilizer plants building are a ponzi bubble that will run it's coarse , and it's the same bullshit that it will have a $200,000.00 per year profit, it's a big lie. These plant will only produce jobs while they are being built ( about 1 year) and then they will operate with less then 10 employee per shift if that.
The cost over run will be much more as usual and fertilizer is very corrosive , the maintenance and up keep will cost more then they are saying now and the $200,000.00 profit will turn into a loss . Further more because they are being built all over the country , the supply will exceed the demand and profit will suffer.
Some things just never change , we are spending million's in tax payers money to make pennies if not losses.
M.Mah.says....Hanzen & Sawyer are the consulting engineers for this project. They have a cost study, but it's not available for public review. So, let's start there.
ReplyDeletePellets only offer a 3-2-0 fertilizer value.
So, I would like some transparency on this issue, given waste costs,alternatives, and compliance issues at East Central Reclamation plant facility.