Reclaimed Water

Seminole County Utilities provides reclaimed water, or highly treated wastewater, for irrigating lawns and landscapes. Reclaimed water is safe to use, and its use comes with a variety of benefits to the environment, your lawn, and your wallet.

Irrigating with reclaimed water offers a proven method for conserving drinking water supplies. The Residential Reclaimed Program is expected to save more than 1,000,000 gallons of potable water per day, enough to fill 67 swimming pools.

About

In 2008, Seminole County started the Residential Reclaimed Retrofit Program that constructed reclaimed water pipes to residents in the Northwest Service area.

How does it work? First, reclaimed water travels from the County's water reclamation facilities through transmission mains, or large underground pipes, to your neighborhood. County facilities include the Yankee Lake Regional Water Reclamation Facility, Greenwood Lakes Water Reclamation Facility, and the Yankee Lake Surface Water Treatment Facility to augment reclaimed water supply.

Next, distribution lines bring the reclaimed water from the transmission mains to your individual property. After the County installs the reclaimed water meter at each property, it is your responsibility to disconnect your in-ground irrigation system from the potable (drinking) water meter and then connect it to the reclaimed water meter.

A reclaimed water meter measures the amount of reclaimed water used. You will be billed for the amount that you use as a separate line item on your utility bill.

For more information on reclaimed water rates, visit the Utilities Customer Service Rates page.

For more information on getting started, visit the One Stop Permitting page.

Safety

Reclaimed water is the final product of a multiple-stage, advanced, wastewater treatment program. It is continually treated, monitored, and tested to ensure that it meets state requirements.

Because the reclaimed water from Seminole County’s Water Reclamation Facilities is permitted to be discharged into wetlands, it is treated to a higher standard and monitored more stringently than is normally required. This means that the reclaimed water going on your lawn is of a very high quality.

Safe Uses

The table below shows what activities are safe to use reclaimed water for.

Connections

Reclaimed water is delivered to residents through an underground distribution system entirely separate from the (potable) drinking water system.

All reclaimed water pipe and fixtures, as well as the reclaimed meter box at your property, will use the standard lavender (light purple) color that distinguishes reclaimed water from the potable water system. In addition, look for the signs around your neighborhood showing that reclaimed water is in use.

As an added safety precaution, a backflow prevention device will be installed on your drinking water meter to prevent the reclaimed water from reaching the drinking water. The County is required to conduct yearly safety inspections to ensure that there are no cross connections with the potable water system on your property. In addition, an annual test of backflow prevention devices will be required, and parts will be replaced as needed.

Benefits

Reduced Costs

Reclaimed water use benefits all Seminole County residents by postponing the need to develop more costly potable water sources.

The St. Johns River Water Management District has stated that there might not be a sufficient supply of groundwater to meet the long-term growth needs of the region.

By using reclaimed water now, the County can extend the use of groundwater for a longer period and be less dependent on more expensive potable water supply sources in the future.

Water Conservation

A study by the St. Johns River Water Management District has shown that more than 62 percent of the drinking water used in Florida is for watering lawns and landscapes. In the Northwest Service Area of Seminole County, this figure is approximately 70-75 percent.

Using reclaimed water reduces the stress on the Floridian Aquifer, the freshwater source found deep underground. This source provides high-quality water that requires little treatment, helping to keep your potable water bill low. Pumping too much water from the Floridan Aquifer can cause lake levels to drop, spring flows to slow or stop, and wetlands to recede. It can also increase the likelihood of sinkholes and contribute to saltwater intrusion and decreased water quality, requiring more extensive water treatment.

In addition, reclaimed water use is an environmentally friendly way to discharge reclaimed water. Seminole County’s Water Reclamation Facilities produce just under 5 million gallons per day of treated reclaimed water. As population growth continues, finding environmentally friendly ways to use this resource becomes an increasing challenge. In addition to irrigating the Northwest and Northeast Service Area’s reclaimed customers, the reclaimed water is discharged into rapid infiltration basins that slowly infiltrate back into the aquifer as well as into spray fields at the treatment plant. The capacity of these two outlets is limited, so using it for irrigation is a big help.

Healthier Lawns and Landscapes

Irrigating with potable water may be restricted during droughts. Reclaimed water may have less restrictions. Even during very dry periods of time, your landscape investment is better protected with reclaimed water.

Some nutrients found in reclaimed water, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are beneficial for plant growth and serve as an additional “fertilizing” source.

And unlike water from most shallow wells, reclaimed water is colorless and free from the minerals that can stain houses, driveways, and sidewalks.

Reclaimed water users should still follow Seminole County’s watering restrictions. Learn more from the Water Conservation division.