National EPA Pisces Award for Innovation – A First for Florida

MARIANNA, Fla. (WMBB) — Earlier this month the City of Marianna received a Pisces Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for innovation — a first for the sunshine state.

Marianna is the first city in Florida to receive the Pisces Award in the innovation category.

The State of Florida submitted Marianna’s solar powered wastewater treatment facility to be considered for the award.

City Manager, Jim Dean, said this was a national award and added that he did not realize how competitive it would be.

“We thought it was innovative ourselves and we are very proud of it; it has helped out our community, it had reduced our operational costs significantly and we are very, very pleased with the outcome,” Dean said.

The was the first project the State of Florida has ever funded for solar to run a wastewater treatment plant and because it was the first project the state funded as a solar energy project, it was considered innovative and submitted for the award.