Recommendation For Recycling Water in Florida
Contents
Abstract..............................................................................................2
Executive
Summary...............................................................................3
Introduction.........................................................................................4
Methods..............................................................................................4
Results................................................................................................5
Basic background information on water reuse in
Florida.....................................5
Reclaiming Waste Water in Florida
Uses for reclaimed or reused
water...............................................................7
Conclusions..........................................................................................7
Recommendations..................................................................................7
References...........................................................................................7
Abstract
"Recommendation for Recycling Water in a Florida Pilot Plant"
The water shortage problem has affected all of us in one way or another. Either through
the mandatory restrictions or the increased price of water, or even the ever increasing
occurrence of sinkholes, the evidence of a water shortage is everywhere. Since we need
water to survive, and there are no alternatives to support life on this planet, we must
find a way to keep up with our ever increasing water demand.
This report presents the water shortage problem that is occurring in Florida. This
report will familiarize you with the problem and explain the other uses currently being
employed in Florida. This report also explains the procedure, as well as a
recommendation including the site and costs involved, along with a short background on
the proposed procedure. I recommend that the recycled project be funded and allow the
pilot plant to meet the ever increasing demand for water in Florida.
Executive Summary
The water shortage problem effects us all in one way or another. Either through the
mandatory restrictions or the increased price of water, or even the ever increasing
occurrence of sinkholes, the evidence of a water shortage is everywhere. Since we need
water to survive, and there are no alternatives to support life on this planet, we must
find a way to keep up with our expanding water demand.
I feel that the only viable option is to recycle the water we are using. By recycling
the water, we will be able to drop the price and stop the sinkholes from occurring and
ease the mandatory restrictions placed upon us by the water shortage.
The research that was completed and all the information I gathered showed that a price
of $50,000 would cover all the expenses needed to set up a pilot plant, including the
labor which will be done in-house.
The $50,000 required will be recovered in less then a year's time, and since it will
also satisfy the voracious appetite for water, I feel it is a viable option. The plant
could be operational in 3 months upon approval of the funds. I feel this option is both
economically and environmentally feasible and would like to get started as soon as
possible.
Introduction
Water, our most precious resource, is becoming in short demand. With water use
increasing every day here in Florida, will there be enough water for everybody? We live
in a state where people are migrating into every day, due to the desirable climate and
recreation options. With this influx increasing at an alarming rate, where will we get
the water to supply the demand? Clearly, at the present rate of use the water table is
decreasing. As we see more and more sinkholes, due to the overpumping of the water
table, we realize another alternative must be developed. This completion report will
update you on the progress of the option of recycling the water in our Pasco County test
plant, at the Moon Lake plant.
We use water every day and in many ways. We use water to take a shower, brush our teeth,
water our lawns, wash our laundry and cars or just simply to support our very existence.
Clearly we cannot do without water, and there simply is not enough to go around. One
alternative is to recycle the water. We already treat our waste water with processes
that result in a water 99.5% pure. If this water was to be sent to a water treatment
plant to be processed along with the water already being processed, there would be plenty
of water available. This water could be used as potable water, for drinking or cooking,
or for laundry or irrigation. The reclaimed water could be reinjected (deep well
injection) into the aquifer to offset the amount being pumped every day.
Enclosed is a flow chart through a waste water and water plant already in use. There is
little or no modification required to accomplish recycling of water. Once the water
completes the treatment at the waste water facility, it would be rerouted to the head, or
beginning of the water treatment plant. As of this point in time, we have completed a
flow chart designed for your plant and a brief estimate of the costs involved.
The facilities already in use to process the water we drink now could be used with
little, or in some cases no modifications. This would alleviate our water shortage
problems both now and for future generations. With the reclaimed water we would not only
save existing supplies, but probably drop the cost of water below that which it is now.
According to our estimates, the changes to the Moon Lake Water Treatment Plant will cost
approximately $50,000; this includes labor, which will be done in house.
The scenario is that the water effluent leaving the wastewater plant will be sent to
the headwork's of the water plant, complete the journey through the water treatment plant
and sent out with the other potable water. At the present time the water leaving the
waste water plant is simply used for irrigation or dumped into drying ponds. With this
new technology this wasted water can be used for drinking water, saving both our
resources and money that is presently being spent pumping water out of the ground. This
has already been in use in for some time in New York. We have observed excellent results
with this scenario in the Westbury plant we inspected. We expect to achieve equally
successful results in the Moon Lake plant as well. This should alleviate the water
shortage and also bring the cost of processing potable water down in the future.
Methods
To carry out this project, I performed the following tasks:
1. Completed the approximate price of recycling waste water. The estimates include labor
and materials and, since no additional land is required, the $50,000 estimate should
cover all expenses.
2. Picked out the sight for the project, and have included a flow chart, which is
attached for you to get an overall idea of what to expect.
3. Solicited and received prices of the materials required.
4. Upon your approval of the recycling option, we will draw up blue prints and lay out
the floor plans for the expansion required to recycle water. Once the funds have been
made available, this will be carried out immediately, and we can go over the blue prints
and see if they meet your approval.
Results
First I will provide a basic background on the feasibility of water recycling and the
progress already made in the state of Florida. Then I will propose the next step:
instead of using the recycled water for irrigation use only, I propose the water to be
used for drinking purposes as well.
Basic background information on water reuse in Florida
Reclaiming Waste Water in Florida
As recently as the mid 1960s, secondary treatment and surface water discharges were
considered the norm for Florida's wastewater treatment plants. As the population doubled
between 1950 and 1960, and once again between 1960 and 1980, Florida created more
treatment plants to keep up. In 1966 there were nearly 600 treatment plants in Florida;
by 1986 this had increased to 4,250, and by 1993 this stabilized back down to about
3,500. The vast majority are small with about 80% having a capacity of less than 0.1
MGD. Collectively, they represent only about 3% of the total permitted capacity of all
domestic wastewater facilities in the state. This can be a problem since it is usually
economically unfeasible for these small plants to be able to provide any sort of water
reuse. Another problem is that Florida's warm, slow-moving streams and sensitive lake
and esturine require tighter treatment requirements. This has led to an increased
interest in land application of treated wastewater and reuse technologies to both clean
up the wastewater effluent, and to find another economically suitable use for it.
The first reuse projects were created for Tallahassee and St. Petersburg. These have
significantly influenced reuse in Florida and have paved the way for today's multitude of
reuse projects. Tallahassee initiated testing of spray irrigation systems in 1961. This
has evolved into a 2000 acre system for farmland. St. Petersburg implemented an urban
reuse system in the late 1970s. Here reclaimed water was used for irrigation of
residential properties, golf courses, parks, schools, and other landscaped areas. The
experimental work that was conducted by the State Virologist for the St. Petersburg
project serves as the basis for Florida's high level reuse disinfection criteria. In the
1980s, the creation of the CONSERV II citrus irrigation project was implemented in
portions of Orlando and Orange County. Project APRICOT, which is an urban and
residential irrigation project in Altamonte Springs (Orlando), and the Orlando wetlands
project are among some of the more recent projects dealing with water reuse.
In 1987, the five Water Management Districts (WMD)of Florida established the Water
Resource Caution Areas(WRCA). These are areas that have existing or projected (20 year)
future water resource problems. These areas collectively cover all of the eastern half
and southern half (including far north of Tampa) of Florida, in actuality about two
thirds of the state in all. State legislation is now requiring the preparation of reuse
feasibility studies for treatment facilities and the "Water Policy" requires the use of
reclaimed water within the WRCAs, unless the use of reclaimed water is not economically,
environmentally, or technically feasible.
Florida's antidegredation policy, which is contained in permitting and surface water
quality rules, applies to all proposed new or expanding surface water discharges. It
requires demonstration that the proposed water discharge is clearly in the public
interest. As part of the public interest test, the applicant must evaluate the
feasibility of reuse. If reuse is determined to be feasible, reuse is preferred over
surface water discharge, or other means of disposal.
Florida's Chapter 62-610, FAC of the reuse program contains detailed rules for reuse of
reclaimed water. It regulates slow rate land application (irrigation), rapid rate land
applications systems (rapid infiltration basins), absorption fields (a form of rapid rate
system involving sub-surface placement of reclaimed water), and other land application
systems. Part III of the chapter deals with irrigation of public access areas (golf
courses, parks, schools, and other landscaped areas), residential properties, and edible
food crops. Other urban uses of reclaimed water, such as toilet flushing, aesthetic
uses, fire protection, construction dust control, and others, also are regulated by Part
III.
The WMD for the south region of Florida stated that in 1995, six percent of the 243
individual water use permits issued included reuse. All of the water use applicants were
required to evaluate the feasibility of reuse. Nearly 75% of the 163 wastewater
treatment plants that have a capacity greater than 100,000 gpd practiced reuse for all or
part of their disposition of reclaimed water. They collectively treated 772 MGD of
domestic wastewater and 112 MGD (15%) was reused. The number could have been higher, but
35% of the total wastewater treated contained excessive amounts of salts and was rendered
unsuitable for reuse. Most of this is due to infiltration (permeability) of the sewers
by saltwater canals and does not appear to be addressed for repair any time in the near
future.
The South West Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) is involved in two funding
assistance programs. The Cooperative Funding Program will fund up to 50% of the cost of
design and construction including pumping, storage, and transmission facilities and reuse
master plans. A total of 90 of these projects have been budgeted through Fiscal Year 96.
The New Water Sources Initiative Program provides funding for alternative water supply
projects. Nine of the sixteen current projects utilize reclaimed wastewater or storm
water.
In the SWFWMD region over half of the 180 largest wastewater plants supplied 104 MGD of
reclaimed water. This was 33% of the total volume of wastewater generated in the
district. In some areas of SWFWMD the demand for reclaimed water now exceeds the
available supply.
With The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the five WMDs, and the Florida
Public Service Commission (PSC) all playing roles in the reuse program, some sort of
coordination is needed. This is done by the Reuse Coordinating Committee. This
committee is chaired by DEP's Reuse Coordinator and consists of representatives from the
DEP, the WMDs, and the PSC. The committee meets on a regular basis to coordinate the
many reuse activities. In 1993, the committee published "Reuse Conventions," which
included an overview of the reuse program, made recommendations for increasing program
effectiveness, and established standard terminology and procedures to be used by the
members in their efforts to encourage and promote reuse.
Wastewater reuse is becoming very popular in Florida. It has been projected that the
capacity for reuse by the wastewater plants will collectively increase to about 1390 MGD.
This is an increase from the 1995 reported number of about 850 MGD. The infrastructure
that is needed to transport the reclaimed water is what appears to be missing. This is
something that will cost a lot of money, but will be a necessity in the future,
especially for South Florida (Florida Water Resource Journal 32-35).
Uses for reclaimed or reused water
As you can see, reused water has many irrigation and aesthetic uses. I would like to
take these uses one step further, as a potable drinking source. I feel that by taking
the water from the effluent or from the output of the wastewater plant and recycling this
water to the headwork's of the water treatment plant already in use, we can reuse the
water we have been discarding as non-drinkable water. The water treatment plants already
in use are capable of providing drinking water from the waste effluent with no or little
modifications. The wastewater is already being used elsewhere and now I feel it is time
to start to look to this vast supply of usable water as a new drinkable water source.
Conclusions
Obviously, we don't have enough water available to meet the ever increasing demands.
The most economically and environmentally sound choice therefore is to reuse the water
readily available to us. We have the technology accessible to use to make this a viable
option and I feel we should pursue this option. This would almost completely alleviate
any water shortage we have, since all the water we use would be recycled back into
drinking water, thus relieving the demand to pump more and more water from an already
over used aquifer.
Recommendation
I recommend that the funds be made available for the pilot plant to be put into effect,
and allow us to take the next step in water reuse in Florida. The new plant will
drastically reduce the amount of water now being pumped from the ground, thus reduce the
sinkholes and alleviate the water shortage problem. I feel the small investment is more
than worthwhile and will be recouped in a year's time. I would like to start this
project and bring this new technology to light and begin a new generation of water
treatment.
References
Young, Harley and David York (1996, November). "Reclaimed Water Reuse in Florida
and the South Gulf Coast." Florida Water Resource Journal, pp. 32-35.
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