Reclaimed water fears lead to talk

County officials plan to answer concerns about the safety of treated wastewater at a meeting tonight.

By JULIE CHURCH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 25, 2002

PALM HARBOR -- In response to concerns raised by two neighborhoods, Pinellas County officials will hold a public workshop tonight to answer questions about the safety of reclaimed water.

Some residents of the Beacon Groves and Orange Point subdivisions recently have circulated fliers and launched a Web site criticizing reclaimed water.

The critics are upset that the county will bring reclaimed water to their subdivisions in the next 18 months. Some feel that the decision to add the pipelines and a mandatory $7 per month charge on their utility bills ignores the wishes of the majority of residents.

"Our No. 1 concern is the cost," said Bill Howard, a Beacon Groves resident who opposes bringing reclaimed water for irrigation to his neighborhood. "But we're also concerned about the dangers of reclaimed water."

Howard said he has taken a door-to-door survey of residents and has more than 200 signatures from people against reclaimed water. He's only found a few people who want the water, he said. The two subdivisions have a total of 800 homes.

"We are in the vast, vast majority," Howard said. "But we're getting reclaimed water whether we want it or not."

A county survey came to a different conclusion.

In January, county utility officials said that of 353 respondents to their survey, 61.8 percent said they would use reclaimed water, 34.8 percent declined and 3.4 percent were undecided. Eighty-eight of those surveyed have irrigation wells. Of those 88, 31 said they would use reclaimed water if it was available.

Moreover, some of the information being circulated by opponents is misleading, said Todd Tanberg, director of alternate water sources for the county.

Tanberg organized tonight's workshop to provide accurate information and to allow officials from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to answer residents' concerns.

"They've put out some fact sheets with incorrect information," Tanberg said. "We want to provide the proper information and show people how they can get the best benefits from reclaimed water."

Reclaimed water consists of wastewater that has been filtered and chemically treated to make it clean enough to use for irrigation. It takes four households of sewer waste to make enough reclaimed water for one household's use. Consequently, only about a quarter of Pinellas County will get reclaimed water. County officials plan to send it to areas with high water consumption that do not have alternate sources of water such as private wells.

The County Commission decides which neighborhoods should get reclaimed water based on which ones would provide the best water conservation benefits, officials say.

Residents would be required to pay $7 per month over 30 years for the cost of installing the water lines. They could also opt to pay $1,500 up front. Those who decide to hook up to the system also will have to pay an additional $2 per month flat rate use fee.

Tonight's workshop is for information only, according to Tanberg.

"There will be no one there who can change the decision to bring reclaimed water to these neighborhoods," he said.

-- Julie Church may be reached at (727) 445-4229 or Church@sptimes.com.

If you go

Pinellas County's division of alternate water sources will have a public information meeting for residents of the Beacon Groves and Orange Point subdivisions and others interested in the issue at 7 tonight at Palm Harbor University High School, 1900 Omaha St. Call (727) 464-4231.

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