water

Our Water Sources
Our raw water for the Palm Bay Utility Department (PBUD) Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is primarily derived from a shallow aquifer well field located east of I-95 and west of the WTP. The shallow aquifer well field was originally developed in the immediate vicinity of the WTP site and development of the well field has proceeded to the south and west of the WTP site. The total installed raw water pumping capacity is approximately 5,000 gallons per minute or 7.2 million gallons per day. The actual quantity of water that can be withdrawn on a firm reliable safe yield basis is estimated to be approximately 6.0 million gallons per day on a maximum day basis. [More]

The Water System
The water system is comprised of water supply, treatment, transmission, and localized distribution facilities which, provides service to approximately 24,502 accounts. The current area served by the water system is approximately 31 square miles. The water system consists of 38 raw water supply wells, one 10.0 million gallon per day (MGO) water treatment plant, 1.5MG on site storage, a 100 million gallon aquifer storage and recovery facility, a 1.5 million gallon storage and repump station, and one 0.5 million gallon steel elevated water storage tank. There are approximately 69,034 linear feet of raw water supply mains ranging from 4 to 24-inches in diameter.

Water Treatment Facilities
The Troutman Water Treatment Facility (TWTF) that serves the water system is a 10.0 million gallon per day lime softening treatment facility constructed in phases over a period of 35 years. The original improvements on the TWTF site were constructed in 1962 and consisted solely of storage and high service pumping. The original lime softening treatment plant, with the capacity of 3.0 million gallons per day, was constructed in 1975. Subsequently, in 1985 the plant was expanded to 6.0 million gallons per day and all of the original softening equipment was refurbished or replaced. Another expansion in 1990 increased the capacity of the lime softening plant to 10 million gallons per day. The lime softening process involves coagulation, which causes smaller particles to form larger ones, sedimentation, the settling of these particles, and filtration, the filtering of tinier particles. These processes cause a reduction in hardness, iron and color in the finished water product. [More]

Water Storage and Pumping
The water storage system consists of two ground storage tanks and an elevated storage tank with a total capacity of two million gallons. Pressurization of the water transmission system is accomplished by a set of seven high service pumps at the Troutman Water treatment Facility and four high service pumps at the SRWTF. Both facilities are provided with emergency power via diesel generators, along with diesel generators on the raw water supply wells. Additionally, there is a remote 1.5 million gallon ground storage and repump station that is located west of I-95 in Port Malabar Unit 45, four high service pumps, and a standby diesel generator. A chlorination system is installed at the repump station to insure proper chlorine residuals are maintained in the distribution system. [More]

Water Transmission & Distribution
The water distribution facilities consist of over 540 miles of pipeline. As a general rule, transmission facilities are considered to be those piping facilities greater than 8-inches in diameter and appurtenances. The distribution system is equipped with isolation valves that allow for repairs and maintenance without the need for shutting down a significant portion of the water flow at once. The localized water distribution system also includes over 1,885 fire hydrants to provide fire protection to the service area of the water system.
The water transmission system is well looped with the larger diameter transmission mains installed along the major roadways. The pressure in the localized water distribution system is generally maintained between 55 and 65 pounds per square inch.

Water Quality
The ultimate concern of a public drinking water program is the quality of the piped water when it  reaches consumers for human consumption. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visiting the EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov. [More]

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