MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – South Dade’s wastewater treatment plant is getting a serious makeover, its first serious upgrade in 30 years.
County leaders announced on Wednesday that a total of 600 million dollars and 8 projects are going to add capacity to the plant so that Miami-Dade County can grow and prosper.
The move will allow for water to be reused instead of wasted.
Currently, the plant treats more than 100 million gallons per day, but once completed, treatment capacity will increase by 16 percent to 131 million gallons a day.
The groundbreaking environmental move is future-proofing the county’s infrastructure and protecting its freshwater source while preventing waste from spewing into the bay.
“To me, this is a beauty because it reflects that we are really making sure that we keep water out of the bay where it could harm our wildlife and fresh water,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins was also in attendance for the announcement and told Local 10 News that the move is necessary because of Miami-Dade’s growth.
“It’s important to the residents of south Miami-Dade County because we are seeing the fastest growth in Miami-Dade County,” she said.
With expected growth on top of the city’s mind, the investment will make sure the county is prepared for sea level rise, tidal changes, storm surge, high winds or any worst-case scenario.
“We can add housing and we can convert existing septic tanks to sewer servers and we have the plant capacity for that,” said Roy Coley, head of Miami Dade’s Water and Sewer Department.
Despite the new upgrades, county leaders urge that we shouldn’t want to take our water for granted in the event we have a drought.
The reused water will be used for cooling equipment at the treatment plant, saving the county on electricity, freon and mechanical cooling.
“Once complete, that would make Miami-Dade County the number one utility in the state for reusable water,” said Coley.