JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Thursday, the Jacksonville Power Authority broke ground on a new water treatment facility in E-Town.
The Greenland Water Treatment Facility, due to open in 2024, will convert wastewater into irrigation water that you can use in your plants and yards.
“More than treating wastewater, it will provide a product, a beneficial product, so-called reclaimed water, that we can use to irrigate our lawns instead of drinking water,” explained COO Raynetta Marshall Say. Jaya.
The entire plot covers an area of 120 mu, of which 80 mu have been reclaimed for use. Currently, 50 acres are planned for development, with the remaining 30 acres reserved for future expansion.
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A buffer zone with wetlands surrounds the site, less than a mile from nearby houses.
The project cost $150 million, all provided internally at taxpayer expense.
By November 2024, it will provide 4 million gallons of reclaimed water per day from 22,800 JEA customers.
Initially, it will meet the irrigation needs of 5,700 customers.
The goal is to maintain the expected larger population of the area and avoid using potable water for irrigation, such as caring for your plants.
JEA currently operates 11 wastewater treatment plants.
Deborah Fried lives next door and bought her E-Town home last October. She told Action News Jax she had her concerns, saying she was unaware of the project.
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“Smell. Wastewater,” she said. “So it wasn’t told when we bought the house, so I’m not too happy about the surprise I found today.”
“It’s very necessary, very needed,” explained Marshall, noting that the project is designed to have minimal impact on its surrounding area. “We don’t want people to want to know we’re here because usually when they know we’re here, it’s not a good reason. So it’s important to have this buffer. We’re going to have this buffer, we’re going to have great odor control ability.”
JEA also told Action News Jax that it welcomes any feedback from neighbours as the process continues. The facility does not affect the current rate of customers.
This marks the groundbreaking of Duval County’s first water recycling facility in 45 years.
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