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May 12, 2017
Governing Board Declares Water Reuse Week May 14-20
SFWMD Board initiatives have helped nearly triple the use of reclaimed water to ensure future water supply
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| SFWMD Governing Board Member Mitch Hutchcraft on Thursday passed the ceremonial "Purple Jacket" to Governing Board Member Clarke Harlow as the Governing Board passed a resolution declaring May 14-20, 2017 as Water Reuse Week. |
Orlando, FL
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The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board passed a resolution Thursday declaring May 14-20, 2017 as Water Reuse Week in Florida. The resolution urges local governments, utilities and businesses to implement water reuse programs to help protect future water supply of 8.1 million South Florida residents.
"The water reuse operation as a crucial program is no more evident than right now as South Florida is in the grip of a severe drought," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Dan O'Keefe. "As a responsible Governing Board, it is our duty to do everything in our power to encourage utilities and citizens to reuse as much water as possible. Every gallon reused is a step in the right direction."
Water reclamation facilities in our communities receive wastewater from homes and businesses, treating it until it achieves high quality standards. Next this water is sent through purple pipes for irrigation of residential lots, golf courses and other green space, industrial uses, groundwater recharge and other beneficial purposes. The SFWMD Governing Board continues to partner with utilities to expand their water reuse capabilities. One of these efforts was last year's Cooperative Funding Program, approved by the Governing Board, which gave approximately $9.1 million to municipalities and utilities to implement alternative water supplies including water reuse, conservation and stormwater management projects.
The amount of water reuse District-wide has increased dramatically from
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The Water Conserv II facility in unincorporated Orange County west of Orlando provides 37 million gallons per day of reclaimed water. |
approximately 100 million gallons per day in 1994 to 283 million gallons per day in 2015. In some areas like Orange, Polk and Osceola counties, as well as the Lower West Coast, close to 100 percent of the wastewater generated is reused.
Major projects to increase water reuse that received Cooperative Funding from SFWMD Governing Board, include the Toho Water Authority, which provides about 26 million gallons of reclaimed water per day for irrigation and aquifer recharge in Osceola and Polk counties, the City of Cape Coral that reuses over 25 million gallons of reclaimed water and excess stormwater for irrigation in the City, and the City of Pompano Beach for an expanding reuse system which currently reuses 2.4 million gallons per day for irrigation in the City and adjoining coastal communities.
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The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern part of the state. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts. Our mission is to protect South Florida's water resources by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems.
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