FKAA
tests brackish water blend
BY ANN
HENSON
Staff
Writer
How does your
tap water taste?
The Florida Keys
Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) hopes its customers can't
tell that the agency has introduced some brackish
water from the Floridan Aquifer into the pristine and
tasty liquid from the Biscayne Aquifer.
The water is
safe and meets the standards of the Clean Drinking
Water Act, officials said.
The water is
also safe to use in home medical equipment.
According to Jim
Reynolds, executive director of FKAA, tests were
conducted earlier this week and the agency is now
blending up to 6 percent of the brackish water into
the mix.
The mixed water
should have started flowing in Key Largo late Thursday
or early today. [October 2003]
Key West will
receive the new formulation this weekend.
"We did test it
first for clarity and odor. It's not as good as what
we usually produce, but we can't notice the
difference," he said.
The Floridan
Aquifer water has hydrogen sulfide gas (that
rotten-egg smell) that has to be released during
treatment, Reynolds said.
FKAA is trying
out the formulation because the agency will eventually
blend water, storing it during the wet season and
pumping it up to use during the dry season.
Reynolds said a
1,500 foot deep well has been drilled "and we have to
do flow tests and pump a lot of water out of the well
to see how it reacts."
Once the water
is out, it cannot be dumped on the ground or put into
a sewer system.
"The only place
it can go is in the water plant," Reynolds said, thus
the test.
The South
Florida Water Management District officials told the
FKAA to try the water blending in order to reduce
water consumption.
"We can reduce
[pumping] from 17 million gallons per day to
15," he added.
Reynolds found
that most people who complain about their water
tasting "funny" have old water pipes or have older
filter systems that have not been changed.
Anyone wishing
more information on the test program can call the
water treatment plan superintendent at (305) 247-7373.
Ann Henson
covers state and Monroe County government,
environment, Key Largo and is the editor of the
Reporter's website. She can be reached at
852-3216.
