WATER QUALITY: ‘Aging infrastructure is a big deal everywhere

January 2019

Much of Okaloosa County’s water and sewer infrastructure is decades old but in better shape compared to many other parts of the United States, says county Water and Sewer Department Director Jeff Littrell.

He said the oldest part of the county’s water and sewer infrastructure system is from the 1960s.

“A lot more of the system is from the ’70s,” said Littrell, who has worked for the county for 21 years. “Aging infrastructure is a big deal everywhere.”

In comparison to Okaloosa County, cities such as Philadelphia and New York City have water and sewer infrastructure from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, he said.

The county Water and Sewer Department is an enterprise department, meaning it generates funds/collects fees and is at least partially self-sustaining. Its current budget totals about $64 million.