Florida Town to Irrigate With Treated Water

The proposal is the third phase of a project begun when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ordered the city to stop discharging treated sewage into the Peace Creek Drainage Canal.

After a decade of effort, the re-use of treated city wastewater for irrigation could soon become a reality in Lake Wales, FL.

Currently, treated wastewater is being used for irrigation only in the Longleaf Business Park on U.S. 27, Assistant City Manager Judy Delmar said.

The rest of the 1.2 million gallons the city generates daily is pumped into rapid infiltration basins (RIBs) south of Belle Lake.

The city has signed a funding agreement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which will pay for half the $1.7 million cost of planning and constructing the distribution lines to the city cemetery, a new soccer complex being developed, as well as a new subdivision and development.

Source: theledger.com.