By Kate Kimmel
Nassau County Board of County Commissioners voted Monday to sell the Nassau Amelia Utility (NAU) System to the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA), citing the move as in the public interest.
NAU, which provides water and wastewater service to residents in unincorporated areas of the county, is currently owned and operated by the county. A report by Tobon Engineering found that the system’s facilities and equipment are rapidly deteriorating.
According to the county’s public interest statement, the NAU system is nearing the end of its service life and requires about $20 million in major capital improvements. Without those upgrades, officials said, the utility, its customers, the environment and the county could all be at risk.
Bill Sundstrom, who presented the findings to the board, outlined several major issues, including sewer system code violations, cracked clay pipes allowing groundwater infiltration and a questionable liner at the wastewater treatment plant.
The county determined that selling the system to FGUA is the most cost-effective way to ensure the needed improvements. FGUA, officials said, will take on the responsibility of financing and completing the upgrades.
Greg Cook, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, told commissioners the hotel had suffered two water line breaks tied to NAU problems and that he supports the sale.
The most immediate change for customers will be that payments will now go to FGUA instead of the county, Assistant County Manager Marshall Eyerman said at a prior meeting.
