A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the City of Dunedin will bring reclaimed water to more residents.
The project includes the construction of 30,725 linear feet of reclaimed water transmission and distribution lines and the necessary valves and controllers to connect seven areas within the city.
This project will provide approximately 212,000 gallons per day (gpd) of reclaimed water for irrigation to approximately 377 homes. The project is expected to offset about 106,000 gpd of potable water.
This cooperatively funded effort between Dunedin and the District’s Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board is estimated to cost $2.16 million. Each agency will contribute $468,500 this year. The project will receive an additional $203,000 from the state’s water protection and sustainability trust fund. Future funding is contingent upon basin board approval.
Construction is scheduled to begin in April and is expected to be complete by October 2008.
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.