MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Marion County is taking a major step forward in delivering clean, safe drinking water to residents in northern Marion County with continued progress on the Lowell municipal drinking water project.
At its Jan. 6 meeting, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved a budget amendment adding $1 million in revenue and $1 million in expenses to the county’s utility fund, with no net impact to the overall county budget. The funding supports the next phase of a long-term infrastructure project designed to bring centralized potable water to the Lowell community, an area that has historically relied on private wells.
The Lowell area is home to several state-run facilities, including the Florida State Fire College, and has been identified as having soil contamination exceeding the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s provisional cleanup target levels. Extending a municipal water system into the area will provide residents and nearby facilities with a safe, reliable source of drinking water and significantly strengthen public health protections…