The Waccassassa Water & Wastewater Cooperative
W3C Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Waccassassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative?
A: The Waccassassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative is a regional water supply and wastewater disposal cooperative with three member cities: Bronson, Otter Creek and Cedar Key. The planned infrastructure includes a water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant, located in Bronson, and approximately 35 miles of water and wastewater pipeline.
Q: Why is the W3C regional cooperative needed?
A: Water quantity and quality are issues statewide. Cedar Key and Otter Creek residents want access to clean water and the ability to safely dispose of sewage and wastewater, all while protecting their natural resources. Bronson could be close to capacity on its wastewater treatment facility if the number of customers on sewer match those on water.
Q: Why a regional system?
A: Grants and state appropriations and/or loan forgiveness support this regional system at this time making it more affordable to build than an individual community alone. It would meet the needs of the communities for many decades to come, including meeting growth needs.
Q: How long has W3C been planned?
A: This regional water system began back in 2021 with a feasibility study by Wetland Solutions. Some of the needs identified in the study included:
- Poor source water quality in the eastern two-thirds of the study area (starting just west of Bronson) that impacts Otter Creek, Cedar Key, and unincorporated areas of Levy County,
- Expensive water treatment to address the poor-quality raw water,
- A lack of centralized wastewater collection and treatment outside of Cedar Key and Bronson,
- Potential contamination of private wells during flooding events in unincorporated areas of Levy County,
- Treated wastewater from Cedar Key being infiltrated to the Gulf of Mexico,
- The potential loss of Cedar Key’s aquaculture industry due to a wastewater spill,
- Vulnerability of existing water supplies and wastewater treatment in Cedar Key and coastal areas due to saltwater intrusion, storm surge, and sea level rise,
- Large numbers of septic systems within the Town of Bronson and in unincorporated areas of Levy County that have the potential to impact groundwater supplies, springs, and the coastal ecosystem.
Q: What stage is W3C in?
A: This project is still in the planning stage and conceptual design stage. Many things still need to fall into place for this regional water and wastewater system to make it to the actual design stage and it is many years away from construction, if it happens at all. Still to be worked is if W3C can get more grants and other funding to cover the last 20% of the wastewater treatment facility. The well was drilled and tested for a few hours at high capacity. Although Cedar Key and Otter Creek have signed the W3C agreement, Bronson is still doing research and waiting for additional possible funding and grants to keep the town from going $8M in debt.
Q: How much has the Town of Bronson spent on this process so far?
A: Nothing. No money has been spent from any city on W3C.
Q: How will W3C work?
A: Essentially, W3C is a wholesaler for water and wastewater. Bronson, Cedar Key and Otter Creek would buy water from W3C, which it will then provide to their residents. All facilities past W3C and pipes to residents’ houses are the responsibility of the three communities. Each community will bill their own customers and be responsible for the pipes within their cities. Rates have not been determined as yet, but it will need to be affordable to the communities’ residents to proceed past the planning stage.
Q: Are there any other examples of a regional water and wastewater facility in Florida?
A: Yes, the Polk Regional Water Cooperative was created to proactively identify alternative water resources and projects that ensure the future sustainability of their regional water supply.
W3C meeting are the third Tuesday of the month.
The purpose of these meetings is to discuss possible funding sources, adopt by-laws, adopt an interim budget, adopt a purchasing policy, plan for the administration and financial management of the Cooperative, and conduct other business at the discretion of the Board.
Several members of the Bronson Town Council and the Cedar Key Water & Sewer District Board of Commissioners may be in attendance at the above-described public meetings, and therefore notice is hereby given that such meetings shall also constitute public meetings of the Bronson Town Council and the Cedar Key Water & Sewer District Board of Commissioners. The Bronson Town Council and the Cedar Key Water & Sewer District Board of Commissioners will not take official action at the above-described meetings. This notice is given to ensure compliance with the Sunshine Law.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Bronson Town Manager at 352.486.2354 or email at townmanager@townofbronson.org. Persons with a disability needing a special accommodation should contact Sue Beaudet via the above-described contact information at least two (2) days prior to the meeting.
If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at the above-described public meetings, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.