- October 24, 2024
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Dear Editor:
The front page (Oct. 17 Observer) mentions "a water facility" but the article inside is about a wastewater facility.
I'll never understand why newspapers and TV stations can never get it straight. A water facility treats drinking water. A wastewater facility treats sewage. It's not rocket science. I worked in water utilities for 25 years.
Bill Simpson
Palm Coast
Editor's Note: Maybe we goofed in this headline. But this is a good chance to educate our readers. Here's an explanation on what the utilities really do in Palm Coast from Brittany Kershaw, the city's director of communications:
The City of Palm Coast operates three water treatment plants and two wastewater treatment plants, each serving an important role in managing the community's water resources.
The water treatment plants focus on taking raw groundwater from multiple natural aquifers in the Palm Coast area and making it safe for people to use. The process involves filtering out impurities, softening the water, and disinfecting it. The goal is to ensure that the water is clean, safe and meets regulatory standards before it's delivered to homes and businesses through the city's distribution system.
On the other hand, a wastewater treatment plant handles the water that has already been used in homes, businesses or other facilities — water from sinks, toilets, and showers. This wastewater goes through a thorough treatment process to remove contaminants and harmful substances before it’s either returned to the environment or reused for non-drinking purposes like irrigation. The process includes steps to remove solids and disinfect, break down organic material, and disinfect the water to make sure it meets environmental safety standards.
During heavy rain events, like what we saw with Hurricane Milton, stormwater can sometimes find its way into the wastewater system, overwhelming the system with more water than it's designed to handle. This happens when rainwater infiltrates through cracks in pipes or gets into manholes or PEP tank covers, adding extra volume to the wastewater being processed. When that happens, the wastewater treatment plants not only have to treat the usual flow of used water from homes and businesses but also the excess stormwater. This increases the load on the plant and can slow down the treatment process, making it even more important for residents to limit water use during storms to help the system manage the higher volume.
In short, Palm Coast's water treatment plants provide clean drinking water, while its wastewater treatment plants handle and treat the used water, ensuring it can be safely reused or returned to nature.
