EATONVILLE, Fla. — The Eatonville Town Council on Tuesday night took a step forward to fix the historic town’s ongoing issues with the community’s drinking water and wastewater systems.
The aging infrastructure in Eatonville, the oldest incorporated all-Black town in the United States, is so outdated that it includes clay pipes. According to Public Works Director Valerie Mundy, who is also a professional engineer, some of the town’s infrastructure has been underground since the 1950s. That would exceed its 50-to-60-year lifespan.
What You Need To Know
Eatonville moved forward with plans to update its water and sewer infrastructure
The town has had issues with its drinking and wastewater systems for decades
A $34 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will pay for upgrades to Eatonville’s water and sewer infrastructure
A $34 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will pay for the upgrades.
Several infrastructure failures have forced residents to boil their water.
With the level of work that’s needed, the main priority is getting the highest quality of workers, or in this case, the best engineering firm, Eatonville Mayor Angie Gardner said.
“It’s a long time coming. I think we’re talking 2020 to now, and finally we can start fixing crumbling pipes and making sure that our drinking water is pure,” Gardner said.
The Town Council made its final ranking and approval of the design pool on Tuesday night — selecting CHP Consulting LLC as the most qualified to tackle the project among four engineering firms picked to be part of the negotiation process.
GAI Consultants ranked second, and WBQ Design & Engineering Inc. ranked third.
A final approval of the Notice to Proceed Task Authorization will be brought back to the council before breaking ground, and then the firm can begin the work.
Gardner said she is confident the grant funds will create new job opportunities for its residents, in addition to fixing the infrastructure.
“If we’re talking about tens of millions in grants, we’re talking about jobs, and if we’re talking about jobs on the large scale with primes (contractors), then we’re also talking about some of that work trickling down to our small business community,” Gardner said. “And the Mayor’s Business Development Academy is just for that purpose, to start preparing them, to start thinking that some of that work can come to me. Ultimately, that is also the goal. Not only do we take care of an issue that has been plaguing us for decades, but we’re also contributing to the tables in our homes.”
Construction for these updates is supposed to hit the ground running at the start of 2026.