The Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Sarasota recently approved an agreement to work together on a project that will extend reclaimed water service to Payne Park.
The Payne Park Reuse Project consists of the construction of approximately 4,280 linear feet of reclaimed water transmission line to connect Payne Park with the city’s downtown loop reclaimed water system.
Payne Park is being developed in phases on a former mobile home park site and will encompass 40 acres. Approximately 26 acres will be irrigated.
This project is expected to provide reclaimed water for all of the park’s irrigation needs, which is estimated to be approximately 100,000 gallons per day. No potable water will be used for irrigation.
The project, which is estimated to cost $625,000, is a cooperatively funded effort between Sarasota and the District’s Manasota Basin Board. The city will receive up to $251,916 in financial assistance from the Basin Board. The project will also receive $125,000 from the State Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund, which was created by the state legislature to provide matching funds to assist the District’s highly effective partnership programs, including Water Supply and Resource Development, New Water Sources Initiative and Cooperative Funding programs. The Trust Fund is administered by the water management districts.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of December 2007.
Reclaimed water is wastewater that has received at least secondary treatment and is used for a beneficial purpose, such as irrigation. By offsetting demand for ground water and surface water, this alternative, non-traditional water source reduces stress on environmental systems, provides economic benefits by delaying costly water system expansions, and eliminates the need to discharge wastewater effluent to surface waters.