Reuse of County Wastewater Pitched Miami-Dade and Florida Power and Light
By 2025, the state law requires counties that now dump most of their wastewater offshore to begin reusing 60 percent. In Miami-Dade, that amounts to 117 million gallons a day.
On January 30, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced an agreement with Florida Power and Light (FPL) to solve the county’s biggest environmental infrastructure challenge: addressing ocean outfall and water reuse. This measure would help the county meet a 2025 state mandate to stop dumping wastewater offshore and instead reuse about 60 percent, approximately 117 million gallons a day.
The plan includes creating an advanced reclaimed-water system that would enable the reuse of up to 60 million gallons a day of County wastewater. Currently, the County disposes of more than 100 million gallons a day in the ocean.
“I am proud to have Miami-Dade County partner with Florida Power and Light and bring our 2.7 million residents a viable, sustainable solution to our wastewater challenge,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Our Water and Sewer Department is working directly with FPL to develop a plan that will put otherwise wasted water to good use, which will not only benefit the environment but also all Miamians.”
The proposed agreement involves the modernization of the Turkey Point energy complex in southern Miami-Dade. Turkey Point currently includes two zero-emissions nuclear generating units and one high-efficiency natural gas unit that generate clean energy around the clock for millions of Floridians.
FPL will apply to renew these two nuclear units’ operating licenses, which would allow the units to operate until 2052 and 2053 and save FPL customers billions of dollars by avoiding the need for other more expensive power generation.
“Reaching the agreement would be a win-win situation, both for FPL and Floridians,” said FPL spokeswoman Bianca Cruz. “It would help Miami-Dade solve its environmental challenge, while at the same time the system would serve as the source of water to cool Turkey Point’s natural gas-fueled unit and help restore water quality in the cooling canals that serve the two nuclear-fueled units.”
The carbon-free energy generated by Turkey Point’s nuclear units prevents more than 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year—equivalent to the carbon emissions from the consumption of approximately 1 billion gallons of gasoline.
Moreover, building on this environmental commitment, Turkey Point operations generate an estimated $1.7 billion of economic output annually, employing more than 800 full-time employees and hundreds of contract workers who live in nearby communities. Annual refueling outages require more than 2,500 additional personnel to visit the plant, supporting local lodging, restaurants and hundreds of other local businesses.
Haz clic para leer en Español: Condado de Miami-Dade y FPL firman acuerdo para tratamiento y reutilización de aguas residuales
