The City of LaBelle recently completed a new 1.5 million gallon a day $20 million Water Treatment Plant project funded by a USDA Rural Development loan/grant. The new plant is a state-of-the art Reverse Osmosis type plant. The water leaving the new plant is of the highest water quality and devoid of color. It meets all the requirements for safe drinking water.
Unfortunately this same water has caused some unforeseen consequences. Because the water is without similar properties to the previous water provided by the city, it is removing some of the buildup in the older metal/galvanized water distribution lines located in some of the older sections of the city. This removal causes the water to oxidize and produces a reddish color. Lime that was previously used to soften the water is also moving within the distribution lines. The situation has possibly been exacerbated by fire hydrant maintenance. As of today all fire hydrant maintenance activities have been suspended to stabilize the water flow within distribution system.
The city is also working on a permanent solution to the RO water and its more aggressive nature. Our engineer is working with USDA to get the solution installed in as timely a manner as possible and still meet all the legal, required advertising and USDA requirements. We anticipate this process will take several months to be installed at which time we believe all of the reddish water issues will be resolved. We appreciate all the residents’ patience in working through this solution which was an unintended and unexpected result of the new RO water.
The city apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused. For further information please call Joseph Thomas at 863-675-4684 or City Hall during regular business hours at863-675-2872.
Unfortunately this same water has caused some unforeseen consequences. Because the water is without similar properties to the previous water provided by the city, it is removing some of the buildup in the older metal/galvanized water distribution lines located in some of the older sections of the city. This removal causes the water to oxidize and produces a reddish color. Lime that was previously used to soften the water is also moving within the distribution lines. The situation has possibly been exacerbated by fire hydrant maintenance. As of today all fire hydrant maintenance activities have been suspended to stabilize the water flow within distribution system.
The city is also working on a permanent solution to the RO water and its more aggressive nature. Our engineer is working with USDA to get the solution installed in as timely a manner as possible and still meet all the legal, required advertising and USDA requirements. We anticipate this process will take several months to be installed at which time we believe all of the reddish water issues will be resolved. We appreciate all the residents’ patience in working through this solution which was an unintended and unexpected result of the new RO water.
The city apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused. For further information please call Joseph Thomas at 863-675-4684 or City Hall during regular business hours at863-675-2872.
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