Are you vomiting or do you have diarrhea today? No? You can thank the staff in the City of Plant City’s Environmental Compliance Department. This department’s job is to keep the water that comes out of your faucets clean and safe, and monitor runoff to stop water pollution. Among the big-picture things they do are work with state and federal agencies to keep Plant City water up to, or above, regulations, and develop response plans for water safety emergencies. Day-to-day, team members inspect construction sites, commercial and industrial facilities, check water quality, test backflow preventers, monitor for sewer overflow, and test bodies of water like the East Canal.
“I believe in what we do” said Billy Betties, Environmental Specialist III. “We are here to protect the health and public safety of our city. And we take that seriously.”
Imagine a kid playing with a garden hose leaves it in a bucket, a pool, or a puddle of dirty water. If water pressure in nearby pipes drops enough, the system will suck the contaminated water into the drinking water system. Now imagine your shower spraying you with brown water. Another scenario is, say, if someone digging hit a water main, the drop in pressure could cause sprinkler heads to suck chemicals in lawns into the potable water system.
Other mistakes could also contaminate Plant City water, such as pipes from an irrigation well being connected to drinking water pipes on a property, or pipes in a factory containing chemicals being connected to drinking water.
The way this danger is limited is through the use of backflow prevention assemblies (BPAs). These check valves stop reverse flow of water. “BPAs are in place to protect the safety and integrity of our water supply,” said Mark Woodward, Water Conservation Coordinator.
There are 2100 BPAs in the Plant City potable water system—which are on a continual inspection rotation. When something isn’t working right with one of these, the team replaces it ASAP. “Historically, before preventers were installed, there were many events where people got sick and even died,” John Allen Stock, Superintendent of Environmental Compliance said.
Water use in Plant City is increasing. With more population you get more water consumption. “Tracking the water is part of what we do, so we see those numbers over the last three years steadily increasing,” Stock said. To help conserve water, Environmental Compliance offers an array of devices free to Plant City residents.
The team does encounter problems in handling their volume of work. “A lot of it is due to the quick growth within Plant City—trying to keep up with that,” Stock said. “There are industrial users that are new to the city, and there will be increased loading from the new water reclamation facility. We try to constantly keep an eye on who is discharging, and what they are discharging, that could be a pollutant concern. The environment is something I have always cared about. So, I am in the perfect place for that. The water we have is all ultimately one system. It is all going into the Floridan aquifer. We are all drinking it. We are all using it. I want to make sure it is as clean as possible. I get satisfaction from managing this Division—knowing the people in it, and what their dedication is, and their commitment to their job. They are not in it for a paycheck, they care about what they do.”
“For me it goes back to helping the public out,” Betties added. “Knowing that what we do keeps the water safe, and our environment safe. That is extremely rewarding, even though we are flying under the radar sometimes. We are not looking for the pat on the back. We are not looking for the recognition. It is nice to go home and know that you were part of a bigger picture.”
Mike E. and Billy B. from Environmental Compliance, and Murf from the Utilities Operations Department, are featured in a video, “Backflow Preventer.” It is pretty much guaranteed when people watch it, they will forward it to neighbors, friends, and family. The video can be viewed on Youtube by searching “City of Plant City Government Backflow” or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDyhOzCAY9A.]