CAPE CORAL POLITICS

CAPE CORAL POLITICS - Cape Coral Politics and Lee County information about campaigns, elections, government, policy, Cape Coral Budgets and lobbying.

WATER TREATMENT

Cape Coral Drinking Water Treatment

DRINKING WATER CAPE CORAL

Cape Coral, Florida, produces its drinking water (potable water) exclusively through reverse osmosis (RO) treatment at two main facilities: the North RO Plant (12 million gallons per day capacity) and the Southwest RO Plant (18 MGD capacity), for a combined total of about 30 MGD.

The city pioneered large-scale RO for municipal drinking water in the U.S. (starting in 1977) and remains a leader in the technology. The source water comes from the Upper Floridan aquifer via production wells (roughly 55 raw water wells total). Raw water typically has a total dissolved solids (TDS) level of about 2,000 ppm and a pH around 7.3, containing salts, minerals, hydrogen sulfide (which causes a “rotten egg” odor), and other naturally occurring substances.

Step-by-Step Water Treatment Process

Both plants use essentially the same process. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

  1. Raw Water Intake
    Groundwater is pumped from deep wells in the wellfield into the plant (e.g., 5,000–7,000 gallons per minute at the North plant through a large transmission line).
  2. Pretreatment (Chemical Conditioning)
  • Sulfuric acid is injected to lower the pH to approximately 5.8. This helps optimize the RO process and prevents certain types of scaling.
  • A polyacrylic scale inhibitor (about 3 ppm) is added to prevent mineral scaling on the RO membranes.
    These chemicals are mixed via a static mixer.
  1. Cartridge Filtration (Final Pretreatment)
    The conditioned water passes through 5-micron cartridge filters (similar to a large pool filter). These remove sand, silt, particulates, and other debris, protecting the delicate RO membranes. At this stage, the water is now called “feed water.”
  2. Reverse Osmosis (Primary Treatment)
    High-pressure pumps force the feed water through spiral-wound thin-film composite RO membranes (low-pressure, high-rejection type) in multi-stage “trains” (the North plant has four trains, each rated at 3 MGD).
  • The semi-permeable membranes allow water molecules to pass while rejecting 97–99% of dissolved salts, minerals, bacteria, viruses, and many other contaminants.
  • This produces “product water” with TDS reduced to about 100 ppm.
  • Approximately 20% of the feed water becomes concentrated brine (concentrate), which is disposed of via deep injection wells using residual pressure from the trains (no additional pumping needed for disposal in most cases).
  1. Blending (Stabilization)
    A portion of raw water (about 20% of the final blend) is blended back with the low-TDS RO product water. This raises the TDS to around 350 ppm, restoring moderate levels of alkalinity and hardness. The goal is to create more stable, less corrosive finished water.
  2. Degasification (Hydrogen Sulfide and CO₂ Removal)
    The blend water cascades down packing material in degasifiers (towers) while blowers force air through it. This air-stripping process removes dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas (the main source of odor) and carbon dioxide. The stripped gases exit through a dispersion tower.
  3. Disinfection and pH Adjustment (Final Treatment)
    In the clearwell:
  • Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) is added for disinfection and to oxidize any remaining hydrogen sulfide.
  • Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is added to raise the pH to about 8.8. This final adjustment helps with corrosion control in the distribution system.
    The water is now considered finished potable water.
  1. Storage and Distribution
    Finished water is pumped to on-site or off-site storage tanks and then into the city’s 900+ miles of distribution mains for delivery to homes and businesses. The system includes re-pump stations as needed.

Key Notes on Cape Coral’s Water

  • No fluoride added — Natural fluoride is present but reduced by RO to about 0.62 ppm at the tap, which still offers some cavity protection.
  • Corrosion control — The blending and pH adjustment steps are specifically designed to produce non-corrosive water that meets federal and state standards.
  • Effectiveness — RO is highly effective at removing salts, organics, microbes (including Cryptosporidium), and many other contaminants.
  • Waste handling — Concentrate (brine) goes to deep injection wells; the plants also produce high-quality reclaimed water for irrigation via separate wastewater treatment facilities (not part of drinking water production).
  • Monitoring and quality — The water meets or exceeds all EPA and Florida DEP Safe Drinking Water Act standards. Annual Consumer Confidence Reports (Water Quality Reports) are available on the city’s website and detail testing results.

The city offers public tours of the North RO Plant (call ahead to schedule). For the most current details, check the official City of Cape Coral Utilities page or the latest Water Quality Report.

If you’re experiencing specific water quality issues at your tap (taste, odor, pressure, etc.) or need info on home treatment systems, contact Cape Coral Utilities customer service at (239) 574-7722.

Additional Websites Created by Joe Angrisano:

CAPE CORAL HISTORY