The Plant City Utilities Department has two big projects planned in 2015 to improve the city’s flow of water and prepare for potential growth in the northeast region of the city.
One of the proposed utility extensions will be installed along Park Road to service Martin Luther King Recreational Center, Marshall Middle School, the Recreation and Parks Department building and the city’s softball complex. The other extension will start near the Cherry Street strawberry water tower and run east along South Frontage Road.
SYDNEY & PARK ROADS
The city has been working with Southwest Florida Water Management District to complete a reclaimed water line along Sydney Road since 2008. Reclaimed water is wastewater that has been processed to the point that it can be used for irrigation and industrial purposes.
In 2012, the agreement was amended to extend the construction schedule, increase the main’s size from an 18-inch diameter to 24 inches, and include construction of the Park Road reclaimed water main. The amendment increased the total cost of these projects from $3,568,200 to $6,126,000.
The Sydney Road project has been running since 2013. Each day, the main provides about 200,000 gallons of reclaimed water for irrigation.
The cost for the Park Road project is $1,750,000. The project will need a connection to an existing line on Henderson Way, which will cost $80,000. The connection is not eligible for SWFWMD funding. But, SWFWMD has offered a $750,000 grant to partially fund Park Road’s reclaimed water extension.
Total, the Park Road project will cost the city $915,000.
E.T. MacKinzie, of Florida Inc., designed the utilities extensions, with Stantec as the engineering firm. Utilities Director Frank Coughenour expects construction to start spring 2015 and finish before 2016.
SOUTH FRONTAGE ROAD
The South Frontage Road project will include a water main, a wastewater force main and a reclaimed water main.
“That project was initially put on the books several years ago to improve water service on County Line Road, and generally the eastern side of the service area,” Coughenour said. “As the project developed and we started seeing more growth potential on the northeast side of town, it made a lot of sense to, at the same time, put in the sewer and reclaimed water.”
It will also improve the reliability of the city’s utilities system, by completing a loop of water lines.
“If you have a dead-end line and there’s a problem on that main, you’re out of water,” Coughenour said.
THE WAY THINGS WORK
Plant City’s wastewater treatment facility is located off of Alexander Street, just south of Interstate 4. All of the city’s wastewater flows through underground pipes to this facility.
When the wastewater first arrives at 1500 Victoria Street, the “primary treatment process” filters out non-biodegradable pieces, such as plastics. Next, oxygen is pumped into the water to promotes bacterial life and reproduction. Bacteria in the water break down organic materials and convert harmful nitrates in the water to oxygen and nitrogen gases.
Healthy bacteria are extracted from the water and returned to the beginning of the process to be reused. Incoming wastewater does not contain high enough levels of the types of bacteria needed for this process, so they are “grown” at the facility.
The water is filtered again to remove any remaining particulate matter, and then disinfected in a chlorine chamber. If it meets standards of chemical levels and turbidity, it is then sent through extensions such as the two proposed for 2015, for public access use.
Plant City does not officially use reclaimed water for drinking purposes, but some areas of the country that are particularly prone to drought have begun doing so.
“It’s important to remember that unofficially, people have been doing it for years,” Coughenour said.
Anytime wastewater is discharged to a surface-level source, it is likely to be collected and reused.
City manager Mike Herr said the wastewater treatment facility is environmentally sound and is run by employees who are strong in their positions.
“I was impressed with your system,” Herr said at a 2014 City Commission meeting. “For a city of 35,000, you have a very sophisticated wastewater treatment plant, so you should be proud of that.”
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DIVISION
One of Utilities’ divisions, Water Resource Management, focuses on education and public outreach regarding water and conservation issues.
“We always feel that if we provide people with facts and information, they can make better choices,” Al Miller, environmental coordinator for the division, said.
The division recently hired Sheryl Brundage as its education and safety coordinator.
Miller wants to eventually create new programs for connecting with the residential population of Plant City.
For now, educational outreach directly related to reclaimed water is the responsibility of Mark Woodward, water conservation coordinator. He also submits reports on reclaimed water usage to SWFWMD.
Woodward’s most recent reclaimed water usage report contained data from October 2012 through September 2013. During this time period, an average of 792,858 gallons per day were shared among Plant City’s industrial and commercial users: CFI, Loyd Nursery, Johnson and Fouts Grove, Willaford Groves and the Walden Lake Golf Course.
RECLAIMED WATER…
Can be used for:
Irrigation
Power generation
Dust control
Restoration of wetlands/ other natural systems
Aquifer recharge
Decorative fountains
Cannot be used for:
Drinking
Cooking
Irrigation of vegetables/herbs
Swimming pools
Information from SWFWMD.
— Catherine Sinclair