Frequently Asked Questions


What does this project involve?
Why does the city need to build a new Water Reclamation Facility?
What is the City doesn't build a new Water Reclamation Facility?
Why can't you just expand the existing wastewater treatment plants?
How will this facility be different from the City's existing wastewater treatment plants?
Why build the Water Reclamation Facility at this site?
Where will the discharge go?
What are the benefits to residents new the facility?
Can you guarantee no odors?
Can you guarantee no noise?
What are you going to do about the visual aesthetics?
What dangerous chemicals and substances will be there?
Can I get reclaimed water at my house?
Who will receive the use of this Water Reclamation Facility?
Are funds available? If so, where are the funds coming from?
How much is this going to cost me as a taxpayer/ratepayer?
Will I have to hook up to the public sewer system and pay sewer rates?


What does this project involve?

This project involves reclamation of an existing Municipal Landfill and implementation of a Water Reclamation Campus on the same site. The Water Reclamation Campus is proposed to include an open outdoor space, walking trails, a Water Reclamation Facility and a City landscape nursery. The Water Reclamation Facility will be a City-owned and operated facility designed to treat up to 12 million gallons per day of wastewater to reclaimed water standards.


Why does the city need to build a new Water Reclamation Facility?

  • The need for a new Water Reclamation Facility was identified in the City’s Sanitary Sewer Master Plan completed in 2005. The need derives from State and Federal regulations which require the City to initiate the process of expanding its wastewater treatment capacity five years before the capacity of the existing plants is exceeded. That time has come.
  • The East Water Reclamation Facility will also reduce Wastewater Treatment Plant discharges to the Caloosahatchee River, which serves to satisfy regulatory requirements and which provides an environmental benefit to the entire community.

What if the City doesn't build a new Water Reclamation Facility?

  • The City would be in violation of State and Federal regulations and subject to enforcement action.
  • The inability to treat increasing flows could lead to permit violations at the existing plants, and possible environmental impacts.

Why can't you just expand the existing wastewater treatment plants?

The City completed a study in 2005 analyzing the expansion potential at both existing Water Reclamation Facilities. Due to space limitations at the sites and capacity limitations of the existing collection pipes, the existing plants were determined to have very minimal expansion potential – much less than is needed.


How will this facility be different from the City's existing wastewater treatment plants?

  • The existing treatment plants are more than 25 years old and utilize the technology available at that time. The City will be utilizing state-of-the-art technology and equipment for the East Water Reclamation Facility. Perhaps most significantly to the neighborhood, an advanced multi-staged odor control system is proposed for the East Water Reclamation Facility, and this is expected to be much more effective than the systems that were available and installed when the other plants were built.
  • The setbacks, landscape buffers, and aesthetic considerations proposed for the East Water Reclamation Facility far exceed what is in place at the other plants.
  • This facility is being designed with 100% reuse capability and will not discharge any treated effluent to the river.

Why build the Water Reclamation Facility at this site?

  • The Sanitary Sewer Master Plan completed in 2005 identified the bulk of the future growth occurring in the geographic area near the proposed East Water Reclamation Facility site. Economics strongly favor building the Water Reclamation Facility near the source of the wastewater to minimize piping and pumping.
  • Development of this site provides the opportunity to implement parallel improvements to benefit the community. These include remediation of an existing landfill, rerouting County solid waste trucks to relieve this traffic from much of Alvin Avenue, and implementation of community walking trails and open outdoor space.
  • This site can be developed with no impacts to existing wetlands, and affected vegetation will be largely exotic nuisance plants (Brazilian Pepper).
  • This is already a City-owned property.
  • The City considered other potential sites and found this site to be the only one which meets the above criteria.

Where will the discharge go?

  • The Water Reclamation Facility will be designed with the capability to treat and distribute 100% of the water as reclaimed water for irrigation. During periods of low irrigation demand (rainy season), it may be necessary to dispose of some of the water by an alternative method: deep well injection. Under this approach, the reclaimed water would be pumped deep into the ground, approximately 2500-3200 feet deep, which is an accepted, safe, and commonly used disposal strategy in Florida
  • This facility will not discharge any treated wastewater to rivers or other natural surface waters.

What are the benefits to residents near the facility?

  • This facility will produce reclaimed water, providing an economical irrigation resource the community and benefiting the environment by reducing demand on natural water supplies.
  • The project provides environmental benefits for the entire community by reducing treated wastewater discharges to the Caloosahatchee River
  • The existing landfill will be remediated to enhance the environmental soundness of the site and make beneficial use of otherwise un-useful land.
  • We are proposing to construct a road through the site that County solid waste trucks can use to move between Buckingham Road and Lee Blvd. This will alleviate such trucks currently using Alvin Avenue.

Can you guarantee no odors?

  • The City is giving the highest priority to implementing the East Water Reclamation Facility as a good-neighbor facility. First and foremost, the City is committed to ensuring effective odor control. The technologies being considered for the East Water Reclamation Facility are state-of-the-art and include a multi-stage odor control strategy. We expect the odor control measures to be very effective.
  • In developing the overall odor control strategy, the City is visiting existing facilities around the state and around the country in order to evaluate first hand which odor control strategies have proven successful. The Mayor himself is involved in this process.
  • Simultaneously, the City is embarking on a study to identify measures that can be implemented at its older existing wastewater treatment plants in order to upgrade odor control at these facilities to the same rigorous standards.

Can you guarantee no noise?

All equipment which generates a significant level of sound will be located within a building or sound-attenuating enclosure. We do not anticipate any issues with an adverse level of noise. It should be noted that we are providing a 450’ setback between water reclamation facilities and any residential properties.


What are you going to do about the visual aesthetics?

It is the City’s goal to make the East Water Reclamation Facility a showcase facility that will be a source of pride for the City and all associated with its implementation. To that end, aesthetic considerations will include the following:

  • Maximizing the spacing between Water Reclamation Facility structures and residential properties including providing a minimum setback of 450 feet.
  • Placing the more aesthetic site features between the Water Reclamation Facility and the residential areas including the walking trails, lakes, nursery, and natural preservation.
  • Providing landscaping buffers along property lines that exceed the requirements. Landscape buffers along residential property lines are proposed to be 40’ wide with a 4 foot high berm and 13 trees/66 shrubs per 100’ of length. It is intended that the landscape buffers at maturity will provide a visual shield.
  • Aesthetically pleasing architectural treatment for the Water Reclamation Facility administration building and other building type structures will enhance aesthetics for those accessing the property.

What dangerous chemicals and substances will be there?

  • Any chemicals utilized at the East Water Reclamation Facility will be stored and handled properly and safely in accordance with regulations. Safety is a top priority of the City for the protection of the public and its employees.
  • The City has decided to implement UV disinfection at the East Water Reclamation Facility. This technology achieves disinfection of reclaimed water using ultra-violet light, and eliminates the need to store large amounts of chlorine at the site.

Can I get reclaimed water at my house?

  • If you live in a development with a neighborhood irrigation system, then reclaimed water from the East Water Reclamation Facility may very possibly be available to supplement your neighborhood’s water supply. It would depend on the negotiation of a reclaimed water agreement between your neighborhood association and the City.
  • The City is not planning to construct a City-owned reclaimed water distribution system within existing neighborhoods at this time.

Who will receive the use of this Water Reclamation Facility?

  • This Water Reclamation Facility will receive flows from the City-service area in the eastern part of the City.
  • In addition, some flows currently treated at the City’s existing plants will be diverted to this facility to reduce river discharges. This diverted flow comes from both City and County residents.

Are funds available? If so, where are the funds coming from?

Currently, there is sufficient money available in the utility budget to fund a project of this size. However, the City is aggressively pursuing grant monies for this project from the State and the Federal government, among other sources. This will allow the City to use the money currently in the budget to fund other projects that may not qualify for grant funds.


How much is this going to cost me as a taxpayer/ratepayer?

At this time, the City does not anticipate increasing rates or imposing new taxes to pay for this project.


Will I have to hook up to the public sewer system and pay sewer rates?

Not because of this project. The City’s Comprehensive Plan does require that all homes within the City will be required to connect to the City sewer system if and when sewer service piping is made available to the property. However, this project does not include an expansion of sewer collection piping into existing neighborhoods.