Perry wastewater permit: Taylor County seeks 30 more days

Taylor County commissioners voted July 24 to seek 30 additional days before deciding whether to formally challenge a Florida Department of Environmental Protection wastewater permit action involving the former Foley Cellulose mill in Perry.

The county’s request follows a July 15 DEP notice of intent concerning the facility’s wastewater permit. The proposed action would change where treated effluent is discharged, while wastewater treatment and groundwater-monitoring systems continue at the former mill site after cellulose manufacturing ended in 2024.

What the permit action would change

According to Perry Newspapers and the DEP permit record, the proposed change would move the treated-effluent discharge point from a pipeline location near the mouth of the Fenholloway River back to the original discharge point near the mill site.

The change has drawn local attention because the discharge location and the permit’s monitoring provisions affect how officials and residents evaluate potential effects along the Fenholloway River. The available records do not establish that the proposed change has caused environmental harm or that monitoring requirements have failed. Those issues remain part of the review surrounding the permit action.

County has not decided whether to challenge

The July 24 vote was procedural. As reported by Perry Newspapers, it gave county officials more time to review the DEP action and decide whether to file a formal challenge. The vote should not be read as confirmation that a legal challenge has already been filed.

The DEP notice also does not mean the proposed discharge-point change has already been completed. The permit’s final status, the exact discharge arrangement and the scope of continuing monitoring remain important questions for residents following the issue.

What residents should watch next

The DEP record identifies the matter under permit file 45066-GP and describes the public-participation process connected to the facility. Residents, nearby property owners and county officials can watch for a subsequent county decision, additional filings and any later DEP approval or response.

For Perry, the immediate issue is not a return to manufacturing at the former mill. It is how wastewater treatment and groundwater monitoring will continue at the site, where treated effluent will be released and whether Taylor County concludes that the state action warrants a formal challenge.

Sources

• Taylor County seeks 30-day extension on Foley wastewater permit challenge
• Foley public-meeting record and permit information