Okaloosa County will celebrate the completion of an 11.6-mile reclaimed water pipeline with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Oct. 20 at the Mullet Festival site in Niceville.
- The new pipeline will allow residents and businesses to use reclaimed water, or treated wastewater, to irrigate their lawns instead of drilling more wells into the aquifer, according to the county.
“We are proud of the work performed by our Water and Sewer Department and are excited for the positive environmental and economic impacts this will have for the Niceville area communities,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “This is another example of the county working smarter to use resources that already exist for the betterment of the residents.”
The southern portion of the pipeline begins at the Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility in Fort Walton Beach. It continues through the Eglin reservation with an eastern terminus near the Mullet Festival site in Niceville. It will primarily provide supplemental reclaimed water to Niceville, with Valparaiso and Eglin Air Force Base as future possibilities.
This interagency, regional project was led by the Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Department with funding through the Northwest Florida Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and county capital improvement funds.
- The total cost was $12.8 million.
Okaloosa County began this partnership with Niceville and Eglin in 2014, when the three parties agreed on the concept and executed an initial agreement. County crews began installing the 20-inch purple pipeline in 2021.
The county says that other areas of Florida have seen success in water sustainability by using reclaimed water. Some other benefits include reducing potable water use, decreasing fertilizer application and ensuring a sustainable and cost-effective water supply.
