PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
Merrill WI
PERMIT NO 24
3433 Oakwood Hills Pkwy
Eau Claire, WI 54701-7698
Address Service Requested
A LOOK BACK: RECYCLING AND REUSING AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA
The proactive City of Palatka, Florida,
took forward-thinking steps in 2005
when it installed a reclaimed water
system in its quaint community of about
10,000. More than a decade later, the
system is still in place and supplying
reuse irrigation to facilities throughout
the City – including its municipal golf
course, airport, and local ball fields.
Reclaimed or recycled water has gained
momentum over the years, regarded
as an effective way of conserving and
preserving groundwater. The advanced
treatment process filters and disinfects
an estimated 1.9 million gallons of
wastewater each day, converting
it into treated water safe for
many purposes (but not quite
clean enough to drink).
Ayres Associates, one
of Palatka’s continuing
services firms, has worked
with the City for years
and provided engineering
services for the expansion
of the reclaimed water
reuse pump station in 2012. Ayres is
currently working with the City on a
new reclaimed irrigation holding pond
just south of the wastewater treatment
plant. The City is also planning a related
project that would use sludge from its
wastewater treatment plant as fertilizer
for nearby sod farms.
“It’s been a really, really good
partnership, and the project itself has
been awesome,” said Brian McCann,
the City’s wastewater treatment plant
superintendent. “It’s greatly improved
plant efficiency, the chlorination system
works great, the filters are performing
well – I can’t say anything bad about
them.”