MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

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City of North Port Myakkahatchee Creek Water Treatment Plant
RBF/RO Reliability Project
Project Type Cooperative Funding
AOR(s)
Water Supply
Basin(s) Manasota
Cooperator(s)
City of North Port - Public Utilities
Project Manager FERGUSON, JOHN
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
ARMSTRONG, BRIAN, GOODWIN, AUDRIE
Description
The City of North Port Myakkahatchee Creek Water Treatment RBF/RO Plant Reliability Project is an alternative water
supply project that consists of a facility with river bank filtration (RBF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) for the treatment of
1.5mgd of finished potable water. This project will make the Myakkahatchee Creek, typically a seasonal source,
operable on a year round basis.
Benefits
Development of this project will increase the reliability of the Myakkahatchee Creek surface water treatment plant
(MCWTP). The key benefits include: 1) the enhancement of a newly permitted surface water supply that will maximize
usage of surface water; 2) the utilization of an RBF intake, which is an innovative approach to pre-treat surface water
to provide a natural, sustainable treatment process; and 3) the addition of high quality RO treated water to increase
the use of the local surface water supply for the City of North Port to meet their own needs and free up additional water
critical to the needs of the regional system, particularly during the seasonal dry periods.
Costs
The total cost of the RBF/RO project is $17,732,000, with the requested Distict share being $7,150,000. District
funding is provided entirely by the Manasota Basin Board. District funding in FY2010 is $500,000. Total funding
budgeted to date (FY2009) is $900,000 from the Manasota Basin Board.
The total project cost above includes pilot studies and existing facility upgrades paid for by the City of North Port. The
District eligible costs are for the RBF and RO facilities, which total $14,300,000.
Additional Information
The objective of this project is to increase the reliability of the MCWTP in order to meet increasing demands and
future regulations. The City of North Port currently operates a conventional surface water treatment plant that was
designed with a treatment capacity of 4.4 MGD, but consistent and reliable production at full capacity has been
prevented by poor source water quality. The historic water source, Myakkahatchee Creek, is now complimented by a
newly permitted supplemental source, Cocoplum Canal, but both sources exhibit considerable seasonal variability in
flow and water quality. Elevated TDS and sulfate levels, particularly during the dry season, create challenges in
meeting water quality regulations with the current treatment system. Meeting the finished water turbidity levels is an
additional challenge. These issues have resulted in the current water treatment plant being used primarily on a
seasonal basis. The City currently utilizes this system complimentary and in tandem with potable water purchased
from the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.
The proposed MCWTP RBF/RO Reliability Project includes the full-scale preliminary design, final design, and
construction of a 2.0 mgd RBF system and a RO system capable of producing 1.5 mgd of finished potable water. The
RO concentrate will be disposed through the City's wastewater treatment facility. The RBF/RO treatment system will
compliment City improvements made to the existing 4.4 mgd conventional treatment plant. .
In July 2008, the City completed a Water Treatment Plant Enhancement Study to evaluate treatment alternatives that
would increase the reliability and water quality of the MCWTP. The MCWTP Enhancement Study proposed
the improvements for the existing conventional MCWTP as well as the integration strategy of the new RBF-RO facility.
This study included an assessment of the existing conventional MCWTP, along with preliminary pilot test results
evaluating reverse osmosis (RO) in combination with river bank filtration (RBF) pre-treatment for reducing TDS and
sulfate. According to the study, 1.5 mgd from the RO facility could be blended with 3.3 mgd of finished water from the
existing system to meet the regulatory limit of 500 mg/l TDS during the seasonal periods of poorest raw water
quality in the Cocoplum canal. This would allow the MCWTP to operate on a consistent and year-round basis instead
of being limited to seasonal operation. In addition, this project will result in better quality finished water, increased
production, and will maximize the use of surface water supplies.
The City of North Port completed the four-month pilot-scale test of the RBF-RO system and published the pilot study
in October 2008. The City continued the pilot skid operation and data gathering for several additional months through
the sponsorship of a company conducting R&D of system components. District staff met with City staff on January 6,
2009, to discuss portions of the project eligible for funding and details of the Cooperative Funding agreement. The
District clarified that funding would be for RBF/RO treatment, and the improvements to the existing facility were
ineligible. The Cooperative Funding Agreement between the District and the City was executed on March 17, 2009.
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