The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority now has a key state environmental permit that allows relocation of Pensacola's Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant to begin.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued the long-awaited permit after hearing no challenges from the public during a 30-day comment period that ended Aug. 31, said DEP spokeswoman Sally Cooey.

ECUA board member Lois Benson is excited with the way things have fallen into place.

"I think this is a giant step forward in the replacement of the plant, and I think it is significant that there were no challenges to our permit," Benson said. "It tells me once again that this community is behind this project. ... It is a wonderful win for the environment."

Although other permits will be needed, the environmental permit from DEP is the primary one needed to get the project off the ground, Bowers said. It allows the ECUA to begin construction of what is now being referred to as a central water reclamation facility and other related components.

Plans call for a ground-breaking in November, Bowers said.

The plan is to move the sewage treatment plant from its vulnerable position near Pensacola Bay to the relative safety of central Escambia County. A wooded, 327-acre site near the Solutia Inc. nylon manufacturing plant will be its new home.

Pensacola City Councilman Marty Donovan emphasized what it means to the environment.

"I think it's a red-letter day for the community that the permit is being issued, and we can now begin the process of eliminating the discharge of treated sewage into Pensacola Bay," Donovan said. "Depending on which direction the wind blows, the odor can be very potent for certain neighborhoods."

The first step is clearing the future plant site.

The ECUA board on Monday is expected to award a site-clearing contract to Cantonment-based Roads Inc. of Northwest Florida, which offered the low bid of $418,118.

Eleven firms bid on the site-clearing job, with bids ranging up to more than $1.1 million. An ECUA engineer had originally estimated the cost at about $1 million.

The ECUA in April approved additional sewer bill charges to help pay the $302 million cost of moving the plant out of downtown Pensacola.

The surcharges, which will affect about 66,000 sewer customers, range from $2.50 to $7 a month for residential customers and $7 to $500 a month for commercial users.

ECUA sewer customers will shoulder most of the project cost, but others have contributed: The City of Pensacola's Community Redevelopment Agency is to contribute up to $19.5 million; Escambia County pledged $7 million; the state contributed about $24 million; and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay

$134 million.

In an abundance of caution, City Attorney John Fleming is trying to determine if a Florida Supreme Court decision Thursday will affect the CRA's expected contribution.

The court ruling requires a voter referendum before bonds can be repaid with money generated through special tax-increment finance districts. TIF districts, as they're called, work by earmarking future tax money to pay for public works efforts like road construction and economic development.

The CRA district is funded with a portion of city and county property tax revenue from a downtown area south of Cervantes Street between A Street and 17th Avenue. The 10 City Council members comprise the CRA board and decide where the money will be spent within the district.

"There's not a commitment to do a bond issue for the ECUA project," he said. "The way the deal is structured, the city would provide payments periodically over a period of years. It's not TIF revenues, but I just want to look into it."