Water Treatment Plant #1
Water Treatment Plant #1 was built in 1977 and expanded in 1982. Water Treatment Plant #1 is classified as a conventional lime softening and filtration plant and has a permitted capacity of 6.0 MGD and is located on Palm Coast Parkway. Ground water to the plant is supplied by thirty-one surficial aquifer water wells and currently uses (4) additional wells re-routed from Water Treatment Plant #3’s raw water system while improvements are being made to older existing wells.
There are four major treatment processes which include lime softening, disinfection, dual media filtration, and corrosion control. The lime softening is performed in six softening reaction basins each rated at 1.0 MGD. The lime softening process includes chemical application of calcium hydroxide (lime slurry) to convert the dissolved hardness causing minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium to precipitate.
Between the softening and filtration processes, ammonium sulfate (ammonia) and sodium
hypochlorite (chlorine) is added to the water to form chloramines. The chloramines are used to disinfect the water.
Dual media filtration is used for suspended solids removal. There are six (6) dual media filters, each with a surface area of 175.5 square feet and a filtration rate of approximately 4 gpm/ft2,
for a total filtration capacity of 6.0 MGD. The dual media filters are comprised of 20-inches of anthracite, 9-inches of sand and 9-inches of gravel.
The final treatment process involves chemical addition to inhibit corrosion in the distribution system. The purpose of this process is also to prevent lead and copper from leaching out of customer’s appliances and plumbing systems.
A Contact Time evaluation was performed for WTP No. 1 which documented that the inactivation of viruses was more than the Department of Environmental Protections (FDEP) four-log inactivation requirement. This level of inactivation is compliant with the Groundwater Rule.