A project funded by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Aqua Utilities Florida, Inc. will bring reclaimed water to residents and agriculture in the eastern portion of Lakewood Ranch, a development in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
The project includes the design and construction of more than 24,000 linear feet of reclaimed water transmission lines and a pump station.
This project is expected to provide approximately 1.15 million gallons per day (mgd) of reclaimed water to meet the current demands of residential reclaimed water customers and agricultural customer Shroeder-Manatee Ranch. Once the eastern area of Lakewood Ranch is built out, the project is expected to provide 1.5 mgd. It is projected that 100 percent of the reuse water will replace future and existing groundwater demand from the Floridan aquifer.
This project, which is being funded over multiple years, is a cooperatively funded effort between Aqua Utilities Florida, Inc. and the District’s Manasota Basin Board and is estimated to cost $3,274,000. The utility will receive up to $734,800 in financial assistance from the Basin Board in fiscal year (FY) 2008. The project will receive an additional $167,400 from the state’s Water Protection and Sustainability Trust Fund. District funding for FY2009 is contingent upon Basin Board approval.
Construction is scheduled to begin in July and is expected to be complete by November 2009.
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.