GOMESA Application Details
- 1. Title of Project
- Stennis Space Center Wastewater Conveyance Project
- 2. Location of Project
- From Stennis Space Center's Northeastern gate on Mainline Road, along Mainline Road and Texas Flat Road to the Hancock County Utility Authority's Northern Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility
- 3. Requesting Organization
- Hancock County Utility Authority
- 4a. Name
- David Pitalo
- 4b. Position
- 4c. Phone Number
- 228-467-3702
- 4d. Fax Number
- 4e. Address Line 1
- 401 Gulfside Drive
- 4e. Address Line 2
- 4e. City, State Zip
- Waveland, MS 39576
- 4f. Email
- davidphcua@bellsouth.net
- 5. FundingRequested
- $10,650,000
- Awarded Amount:
- $10,650,000
- 6. Other State or Federal Funding Sources
- No
- 7a. Amount of Additional Funds
- $0
- 7b. Source of Additional Funds
- 8. Total Project Funds Amount
- $10,650,000
- 9. Project Description/Overview
- The Hancock County Utility Authority (HANCUA) is requesting funding for an infrastructure project to transport wastewater from the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) for treatment to be provided at the HAN CUA Northern Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF), located on Texas Flat Road approximately 1.9 miles west of Hwy 603 in Hancock County. SSC currently treats wastewater with three (3) separate WWTF's located within the SSC campus. Two of the WWTF's are aerated lagoons and one is a mechanical WWTF. The lagoons were originally built in the 1960's as facultative lagoons. The mechanical treatment plant was later built for servicing the Army ammunitions plant (Area 9). Effluent from these facilities discharge to local waterways that flow to the environmentally sensitive lower Pearl River Basin and ultimately to the Mississippi Sound. The SSC Vision Plan identifies the WWTF's as a liability to the growth and long-term sustainability of SSC due to this infrastructure component's age, technology, inefficiency, and limited capacity. Therefore, a key need for SSC is to address other viable options for the treatment and disposal of wastewater. SSC has determined that the most prudent option is to cease treatment at the three on-site WWTF's and transport the wastewater to the HANCUA publicly owned and operated Northern Regional WWTF for proper treatment. SSC has secured funding and is proceeding with improvements and rehabilitation of its sanitary sewer systems, as well as for the infrastructure necessary to convey the wastewater to the northern boundary of SSC for connection to the HANCUA project for conveyance to the HANCUA Northern Regional WWTF.
- 10. Project Goals/Objectives
- 1. Provide wastewater conveyance infrastructure to transport all existing and future wastewater flows generated from Stennis Space Center for treatment at the Hancock County Northern Regional wastewater treatment facility, 2. Eliminate environmental impacts to the Lower Pearl River basin as a result of termination of existing and possible future additional wastewater discharges from Stennis Space Center.
- 11. Which of the following authorized uses set forth in the GOMESA Act does this project fall under?
- (A) Projects and activities for the purpose of coastal protection, including conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetlands losses
- Yes: The project will result in providing the necessary infrastructure for elimination of all present and future wastewater treatment discharges from multiple sources located within SSC, all of which are impacting the coastal wetland areas of the lower Pearl River basin. Multiple existing WWTF's located at SSC, will be taken out of service as a result of this project, and therefore will eliminate the possibilities of hurricane damage to this infrastructure and possible resultant environmental impacts of untreated wastewater discharge affects upon the environment.
- (B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources.
- Yes: As a result of this project, there will no longer be wastewater discharges into the lower Pearl River Basin from SSC. Elimination of these discharges will help in improved water quality to the receiving water bodies, as well as, elimination of possible threats from potential discharge of unsatisfactory treated wastewater due to a variety of circumstances which could occur, and result in negative impacts to fish, wildlife and natural resources.
- (C) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or conservation management plan.
- (D) Mitigation of the impact of Outer Continental Shelf activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects.
- Yes: The HCUA WWTF was funded with post Hurricane Katrina CDBG funds as a regional wastewater treatment facility, and has been operational since 2012. It is a modernized WWTF which provides for advanced treatment prior to discharge of fue treated effluent. The facility has ample available capacity to treat the SSC wastewater flows and to provide advanced levels of treatment well within the limitations of the facility's NPDES permit limits. As a result of this project, multiple wastewater discharges into the environmentally sensitive lower Pearl River Basin and Mississippi Sound will be eliminated.
- 12. Project Timetable/Milestones
- FROM AWARD AND AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: MONTH 0 - 3: Advertisement, Selection and Award of Contracts for Professional Services. MONTH 4 - 14: Design Phase MONTH 5 - 14: Environmental Permitting MONTH 6 - 14: Property Acquisition MONTH 15 - 17: Plan Review, Comments and Approval by MDEQ and Others MONTH 18 - 22: Bid Phase, Award Construction Contract and Issue Notice to Proceed with Construction MONTH 23 - 36: Construction and Project Close Out Phases Assuming award and availability of funds in August 2022, project completion will be July 2025.
- 13. Project Timing
- Short-term
- 14. Current status of architectural/engineering plans & specifications for this project (if applicable):
- Other Prelim Study Complete Funds Not Budgeted
- 15. In what way does this project meet the goals and objectives of the Department of Marine Resources, which includes enhancing, protecting and conserving the marine interest of Mississippi for present and future generations?
- 1. Eliminates existing point source discharges from Stennis Space Center's wastewater treatment facilities into the Lower Pearl River Basin. 2. Eliminates the need for additional increased future wastewater flows from Stennis Space Center campus being discharged into the Lower Pearl River Basin. 3. Provides for more advanced treatment of the Stennis Space Center wastewater to more stringent NPDES Permit limitations, as will be provided at the Hancock County wastewater treatment facility, prior to discharge.
- 16. Estimated Years To Completion
- 3
- 17. Estimated Completion Date
- 7/1/2025
- Budget:
- Salaries,Wages, Fringe
- $0
- Travel
- $0
- Architecture & Engineering
- $1,000,000
- Legal
- $25,000
- Consulting
- $0
- Construction
- $9,075,000
- Site Work
- $0
- Equipment
- $0
- Indirects
- $0
- Other
- $550,000
- Total
- $10,650,000
- Internal Project Number
- 2024003
- Application Submission Date
- 06/28/2022
- Fiscal Year
- 2024
- Project Status
- Awarded
- Application Status
- Accepted
- Meets Criteria
- Yes
- Internal Notes:
- 1636-c