Judge James Fensom of the Florida 14th Judicial Circuit denied yesterday an emergency injunction to halt the construction of the ECUA emergency wastewater storage tank. Residents of the North Hill and Long Hollow neighborhoods located near the tank site had filed the lawsuit against ECUA on Sept. 13, alleging the utility did not follow Florida law when it decided to build the emergency tank without seeking prior approval from the Pensacola City Council.
Judge Fensom affirmed that ECUA, as an independent special district, has acted in accordance with Florida law and does not require approval from the Pensacola City Council to construct the emergency tank.
In a press release, ECUA said, “The covered 6-million-gallon capacity emergency storage tank, to be constructed adjacent to the ECUA’s Moreno Street Lift Station, is intended to protect the surrounding community and downtown Pensacola in the event of a breach in the sewer transmission main that transports wastewater from the downtown area to the ECUA’s Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment.”