Gainesville Regional Utilities readies July solicitation for water and wastewater asset sale

Gainesville Regional Utilities readies July solicitation for water and wastewater asset saleThe Florida utility is finalizing an invitation to negotiate the sale of the Cross Creek Mobile Home Park's water systems, alongside new operational directives to leverage AMI data for proactive leak detection.

GRU expects to publish a solicitation in July 2026 for the sale of the Cross Creek Mobile Home Park water and wastewater systems.

CEO Ed Bielarski has directed staff to utilize Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) data to proactively call customers experiencing early signs of water leaks.

Phase 1 facilities at the 7.5 MGD Main Street Water Reclamation Facility have passed reliability testing and are now in operation.

The Authority recently approved the removal of approximately $27 million in stormwater and solid waste charges from GRU bills.

The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Authority is preparing to approach the market in July 2026 for the potential sale of the Cross Creek Mobile Home Park (CCMHP) water and wastewater systems. According to an ongoing business report presented at the July 1 board meeting, GRU's procurement, water, and legal staff met throughout June to finalize an invitation to negotiate the transaction. The authority initially authorized staff to explore a competitive sale process for the assets in September 2025. Alongside the impending asset sale, GRU is shifting its operational focus toward proactive customer management using its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). During the meeting, CEO Ed Bielarski stated he has directed customer service and field staff to begin using AMI data to identify household water leaks based on three-day consumption trends. "I want this water leak data... Let's get a report on our desk 6 o'clock in the morning, make calls out to folks that we know the science behind water leaks," Bielarski said, emphasizing a customer-first approach to mitigate high bills caused by issues like running toilets. On the capital project front, the utility's May 2026 state of the utility report confirmed that Phase 1 testing and startup at the 7.5 million-gallon-per-day Main Street Water Reclamation Facility is operational. The new facilities have passed reliability testing, with final contractor punch-list items scheduled for completion by the end of June. Meanwhile, at the 30-MGD Murphree Water Treatment Plant, a new generator for Well No. 13 has been delivered, with slab and conduit installation currently underway. In broader billing changes, the board recently approved the removal of stormwater and solid waste charges from GRU bills. The move strips approximately $27 million in non-utility fees from customer accounts following public pushback over billing practices.