Immokalee receives $10.8 million grant to upgrade wastewater treatment plant

IMMOKALEE, Fla. — When Hurricane Milton hit Florida in October, sewage backed up into Immokalee neighborhood streets. Sarah Catala with Immokalee Water and Sewer says the facility was built in 1980, so it can't withstand a lot of rain in a short amount of time.

But now help is on the way with a nearly $11 million solution from the state.

Click here to see Immokalee Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo to speak with the district.

Immokalee receives $10.8 million state grant to upgrade wastewater treatment plant

"We applied for the Rebuild Florida grant offered through the Florida Commerce Department, and we were awarded $10.8 million to improve our headworks at our wastewater treatment plant," Catala said.

The money will build a new processing system and a 5 million gallon storage tank. Wastewater Treatment Supervisor Lance York explains how the tank works.

"With the storage or the surge tank, we'll be able to fill the tank up and slowly feed the plant during the storm event, without overwhelming the plant," York said.

Michael Costilla, who works at the plant, uses a simple comparison to explain the system.

"The way I like to explain to people is think of it as your body. What surge tank does is it gives the plant small portions, kind of like a meal throughout the day. So instead of you having a really big meal and just upsetting your stomach, it gives the plant time to process and digest what's coming in at a slower rate," Costilla said.

The improvements mean streets hopefully won't flood during future storm events. The project will take about 4 years to finish.

Catala says the grant means people in Immokalee won't see higher water bills.

"We serve a community that works very hard for the money, and it's a REO community, a rural area of opportunity, so a lot of the customers here don't have disposable income," Catala said.

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