How My Water is Treated
Clearwater has three drinking water treatment plants. Reverse-Osmosis Water Treatment Plant No. 1 produces 3-million gallons of water per day using reverse-osmosis technology. Reverse osmosis is a water treatment process that purifies water by removing dissolved particles, minerals, and ions. Reverse osmosis is most commonly known for its use in drinking water purification from saline waters such as brackish groundwater or seawater. The process removes salt and other materials from the water, resulting in the production of high quality drinking water.
At water plants Nos. 2 and 3, raw water from the Upper Floridan Aquifer is blended with water supplied by Pinellas County Utilities, is disinfected using monochloramines, and is stabilized before being pumped to customers. All of Clearwater's drinking water meets or exceeds federal and state drinking water standards. Treatment technologies include aeration, filtration, and reverse osmosis processes.
Currently the City is in the process of expanding the production capacity of the existing reverse osmosis treatment at Water Treatment Plant No. 1 to 4.5 million gallons per day with an anticipated completion date of December 2013. Additionally, the water treatment process at Water Treatment Plant No. 2 is under construction to upgrade to reverse osmosis technology. The new reverse osmosis facility at Water Treatment Plant No. 2 will produce up to 6.25 million gallons per day of drinking water from local brackish groundwater wells. The construction of Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant No. 2 is scheduled for completion and to be producing clean, safe drinking water by January 2015.