PALATKA, Fla. — City contractors began repairs on two aeration towers at the R.C. Willis Water Treatment Plant Monday to address a ‘sulfur-like odor’ in the local water supply.
The decades-old towers are used to remove naturally occurring and naturally smelly compound hydrogen sulfide from water.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Read: Mayor Donna Deegan vetoes Meridian Waste contract – Action News Jax
“Nobody wants to take a sip of water and smell it first, but the water is safe. We are still putting it through all our other treatments. It is still sanitized and disinfected before it leaves the plant,” said Water Plant Superintendent Shawn Bruneau. “The state would never let us provide unsafe water, and I would never let a drop of water leave here that I would not drink or let my family drink. It’s just unpleasant smelling right now.”
On January 9th, the Palatka City Commission approved up to $300k in spending to rebuild the towers. Right now, it’s estimated to cost $250k. Bruneau says this will fund the replacement of all the towers’ components from the bottom up.
The repairs are expected to wrap up by Friday. With regular maintenance, the smell should stay gone for another 20 to 30 years.
Bruneau says neighbors in Palatka will begin to notice a difference by Monday, January 20th.
“The City Commission has made this investment in the water plant for our future,” he said. “These things need to be updated so we can move ahead, support new growth and provide better-tasting, better-smelling water to every citizen out there—something we all use every day.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
