L-R: Mike Keim demonstrates Alachua County's biodiesel production equipment as county Hazardous Waste Coordinator Kurt Seaburg and Florida House Representative Clovis Watson, Jr. observe.

ALACHUA COUNTY ­– A single machine sitting in a waste collection center has sat unused for several months now. It was meant to save the county money, and after a successful legal battle, it might continue to do so.

The county held a ceremony Monday to commemorate the resumption of biodiesel fuel production at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center.

The fuel is made from waste cooking oil brought in by residents and businesses to avoid clogging up their drains, so the county spends no money collecting it. It costs about $2 per gallon to make, said Chris Bird, director of the county's Environmental Protection Department. The fuel is used for county vehicles and emergency generators.

Last December, Alachua County stopped making the biodiesel because of legal requirements which weighed the county down with excessive paperwork and bureaucracy, said John Mousa, of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. A bill in the state legislature, with the support of state Rep. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, state Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and state Rep. Clovis Watson Jr., D-Alachua, eliminated that requirement for local governments and school districts.

"It created such a tremendous burden," Mousa said.

Bird, along with Rick Drummond, acting county manager, as well as the three state legislators who supported the bill and other members of county government gave speeches thanking the county's legislative delegation for their work in getting the law changed.

"We feel like we're hitting the reset button," Bird said about the reopening.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official resumption of the facility.

Rep. Perry said he hoped the reopening of the facility would lead to new technologies and innovation in the area.

Sen. Bradley said the situation is a win-win, helping the environment by preventing waste cooking oil from clogging up sewage systems, while also saving the county money.

Mike Keim, an environmental specialist at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center, gave a demonstration on how the machine that converts the waste to fuel works. A batch takes about three days to make, but one was already finished. The county hopes to make about 200 gallons per month, Mousa said.

The continued production of biodiesel will help the county move forward in being efficient and environmentally friendly, said state Sen. Bradley.

"Let's keep the momentum," he said.

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With the delivery of 80 new grinder pumps, additional residences will be hooked up to the City of High Springs sewer system.

HIGH SPRINGS – Jacksonville-based T.G. Utility Company is in the process of installing 80 new grinder pumps in High Springs homes at no cost to the homeowners. The homes, which have been referred to as the “tweeners,” are homes that were missed earlier during the grinder pump installation as part of the city’s centralized sewer project.

This aspect of the project, which costs just under $1 million, is being funded completely by a USDA Rural Development grant as part of their original funding for the sewer project, the continuation of which has been put “on hold” by the city.

City Manager Ed Booth said, “The city retains ownership of the grinder pumps and easements so we can go in and service them.” One issue of concern for Booth is that many people are putting too much grease down their sinks, which has a tendency to clog up the pumps.

“The city is embarking on an education program to try to eliminate this problem,” said Booth. “When the problem occurs, the city has to remove the grease and repair or replace damaged parts, which can be costly,” he said. “If it appears that the homeowner is negligent, the city will have to charge for grease removal and parts to fix their grinder pump.”

Currently the city has approximately 900 grinder pumps, which Booth says “is more than any other city that I can find in the U.S. Key West may eventually rival us. I know they are looking into installing grinder pumps as well because they called to see what our experience has been with them,” he said.

“What this has done over the last 15 years is to transform High Springs, which is in an environmentally sensitive area replete with septic tanks, into one that has more than half the population using municipal sewer connections. I anticipate that these grinder pumps will significantly help the sewer fund pay for itself,” said Booth.

Although these 80 homeowners are getting grinder pumps at no cost due to grant funding, future developments or individuals wanting to connect to the city sewer system will have to pay for pumps to be installed.

Booth used as an example, the Cinnamon Hills subdivsion, which has already been plumbed for grinder pumps. “The developer already knows he will have to pay for the 56 homes he anticipates building in the next two years if he wishes to hook up.” At today’s cost, the pump and tank would cost $1,100. “The city will inspect the system, but the developer will have to hire his own contractor to install and hook up to our system, which could cost several thousand dollars,” said Booth.

The grinder pumps currently being installed are improvements over earlier models. “These are 220 volts, which are considerably stronger than the 110-volt systems installed 10 years ago,” he said.

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Despite on-again-off-again rain at Alachua’s 4^th of July celebration, the annual rib-eating contest went off as planned as contestants chowed down in hopes of winning the $100 prize.

ALACHUA – Muddy ground below them, fireworks above, the inhospitable weather didn't stop the crowd from enjoying the Independence Day festivities in Alachua last Thursday.

The 14th annual Fourth of July celebration at the Hal Brady Recreation Complex in the City of Alachua saw about 20,000 to 25,000 people last week, despite the rain, said Adam Boukari, assistant city manager.

"If it rains again, I'll just take out my umbrella," said attendee Barbara Chapman, who went to the event with her granddaughters. "The fireworks are fabulous." It was her first time at the Alachua event.

The gathering started at 3 p.m., with people parking in an open field that still had empty space even later into the evening.

Kids got their faces painted, went on slides and into bouncy houses and had some encounters with animals at the petting zoo. Especially when the rain got heavy, people enjoyed indoor activities like bingo.

A variety of vendors provided food and souvenirs, such as Bev's Better Burgers and Nish Bliss Fashion.

Despite the sign that said "no pets," dogs were seen on a few occasions.

Between 6 and 7 p.m., Bev’s Better Burgers rib-eating contest was underway. The contestants appeared to struggle chewing the last bite, even several minutes after time was called. The victor, winning the $100 spoil was Ellis Chapman, who finished 10 ribs in five minutes, according to the judges.

Live music was provided by Natalie Nicole Green and the Little Bit More Band, the United We Stand Band and Jamocracy, which started at 5 p.m.

The rain started pouring around 7:30, forcing the crowd into shelter until it let up about an hour later.

Shortly after, the muddy field usually used for sports filled up with spectators waiting for the main attraction of the night.

Children played in the field as their parents sat on beach towels to shield themselves from the waterlogged ground. The fireworks started shortly before 9:30 p.m. Many people in the crowd were first-timers to the Alachua Fourth of July celebration.

Bernie Wilkins, from Missouri, came to the festivities with her family.

"This is our first time here," she said, her eyes not leaving the fiery display in the sky, limiting her conversations mostly to one word answers. The question was "Are you enjoying yourself?" The answer was simply an enthusiastic "Oh yeah!'

There were minimal traffic and congestion issues after the event was over, said Assistant City Manager Boukari. By the time 45 minutes had passed after the gathering ended, the parking lot was already empty he said.

"It was a very smooth event, one of the smoothest we've had."

Not everybody was as resolute as the attendees this year. The attendance was down about 5,000 people from last year, Boukari said.

As the large American flag was unrolled at the start of the fireworks, the wet and almost-wet people still seemed to enjoy themselves.

Michelle Vance, who said the softball field where the festivities took place was dedicated to her uncle, went to the celebration with her husband and two children.

"They're going to sleep good tonight," she said.

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County to resume biodiesel production

Alachua County is set to resume producing biodiesel from discarded cooking oil waste to power emergency generators and county vehicles.

ALACHUA COUNTY – Cooking oil used to fry somebody’s lunch on one day could end up in a county-owned car the next.

Governor Rick Scott signed a bill on June 7 that eliminates some of the paperwork local governments must do in order to produce biodiesel fuel.

Under the old law, Alachua County had to be licensed as a fuel wholesaler in order to produce even small amounts of biodiesel fuel solely for internal use.

As a fuel wholesaler, the county had to file taxes that it is exempt from, only to file for a refund later, said Mark Sexton, county spokesman. In addition, the county was required to keep record of and report its inventory of biodiesel to the state.  

"The paperwork was really designed for big oil companies," said Chris Bird, director of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department.

The new bill exempts local governments and school districts from the fuel wholesaler requirements so long as they only produce for internal use.

Alachua County makes fuel from discarded cooking oil waste that local residents and businesses offload to one of the several collection centers the county has set up.

The county suspended biodiesel production last year, said John Mousa, Environmental Programs Manager at the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. The paperwork required and the manpower Alachua County had to spend was too burdensome, he said.

The new law exempts local governments and school districts from the fuel wholesaler requirement if they produce small quantities for internal use only.

Local restaurants and businesses can drop used cooking oil waste at one of the local waste management stations, where it will be taken to the Alachua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center to be converted to fuel. The county already collects cooking oil waste from residents and businesses since it can clog drains and impact the sewer system, said Bird. The biodiesel is an added benefit that can be used to power generators in case of an emergency, as well as powering county vehicles to cut down on how much fuel it needs to buy. By making the vegetable oil waste into biodiesel, the county also avoids paying a waste disposal fee.  

Because the process requires minimal manpower, and people are already providing the main ingredient for free, the cost is much smaller than buying regular diesel Mousa said.

Making a gallon of fuel from vegetable oil waste costs the county about $2 per gallon, while buying a gallon of regular diesel costs about $3 per gallon. Mousa said. Unlike diesel prices, which fluctuate, the cost of making biodiesel remains relatively steady, he said. No additional manpower is used to collect the discarded oil. "It comes to us," he said. In the months before the county suspended production, Mousa said the county was making about 150-200 gallons per month.  

"For every gallon of biodiesel we produce, that's one less we have to buy," said Alachua spokesman Sexton. "It's a win-win," he added, noting that the bill will save the county money, give it some degree of energy independence and help prevent waste cooking oil from clogging up drains.

A single machine at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center converts the waste into fuel. Mike Keim, environmental specialist at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center estimated that making 50 gallons of biodiesel requires 50 gallons of waste vegetable oil, 50 gallons of water, about 10 gallons of methanol and around 2,300 grams of potassium hydroxide as a catalyst.

There was little to no opposition to the bill, said state Rep. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville. It passed through each committee unanimously and had widespread support, Sexton added. The county worked with the Florida Department of Revenue to ensure that the bill would not decrease the money the state collects from Alachua County. It only reduces the paperwork and extra bureaucratic steps, Sexton said.

In addition to Perry, state Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island and state Rep. Clovis Watson Jr., D-Alachua supported the bill.

"The paperwork was so onerous," Perry said, "it just made it not worthwhile" for the county to continue making fuel. He said this bill has no subsidies, but lets the rules of the economy prevail. If the county is successful in making biodiesel, he hopes private companies will follow suit and new technology will come as a result.

The county expects biodiesel production to resume July 15, Bird said. There will be a sort of reopening ceremony at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center to commemorate the occasion. The county plans to invest in a public education campaign to get more people to drop off household waste such as used vegetable oil.                

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