Q: What is Reclaimed Water?
A: Reclaimed water, sometime incorrectly called reuse or gray water, is the effluent water from a wastewater treatment plant that has been highly treated and disinfected to ensure and protect the public health and the environment. Reclaimed water provides an alternative water supply source for irrigation and industrial purposes to help conserve our potable water. Reclaimed water is not to be used for drinking or bathing.
Q: What is a Rain Sensor?
A: A rain sensor is a device or switch that will override the set irrigation cycle of an automatic timer sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred. Florida Statutes 373.62 requires installation , maintenance, and operation of such a device by any person who purchases and installs an underground automatic lawn sprinkler system after May 1, 1991.Contact Customer Service for information concerning rain sensors.
Q: What is a CCR?
A: The Consumer Confidence Report is an annual water quality report of your primary drinking water supply sent to our customers by July 1 of each year. The CCR is required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to explain the naturally occurring and man-made contaminants that may be present in the source water. Please contact Customer Service for the most recent copy of your CCR.
Q: What is Cross-Connection Control?
A: A cross-connection refers to an actual or potential connection between a potable water supply and a non-potable water supply source, such as water from a private well, an irrigation system, reclaimed water, water from a swimming pool, industrial or residential wastewater, etc. Back siphonage results from negative or reduced pressure in the water supply system. All public water providers in the State of Florida are required by Chapter 555 of the Florida Statutes to have a Cross Connection Control Program. Polk County Utilities implements its cross-connection control program through the enforcement of its Technical Standards and the inspection of cross connection control assemblies in the field.
Q: What is a Cross-Connection Control Assembly?
A: A Cross Connection Control Assembly, sometimes incorrectly called a back-flow preventer, is an approved gravity regulating (air gap) or mechanical (series of valves) assembly that prevents non-potable water from entering a potable water source is installed to maintain adequate supply pressure and prevent cross-contamination. Polk County Utilities requires, as a minimum, the installation of a cross connection control assembly when reclaimed water is connected to your irrigation system.
Q: What is a Community Investment Program?
A: It is a multi-year construction program that is responsible for replacing water and wastewater infrastructure capacity previously utilized by previously connected customers. It is primarily funded by the collection of water and wastewater connection fees. Polk County Utilities utilizes a 5 year Community Investment Program.
Q: What is an ERC?
A: An "Equivalent Residential Connection" is used for the purpose of calculating and imposing water capacity demand charges for a service connection and for calculating average daily water flow. 1 water ERC = 360 GPD (gallons per day) and 1 wastewater ERC = 270 GPD (gallons per day).
Q: What is Groundwater?
A: Groundwater is water that is stored under the ground within sand, clay, and limestone rock layers (formations). The primary source of drinking water in Polk County comes from groundwater.
Q: What is an Aquifer?
A: A water bearing formation of sufficient quantities and qualities which is withdrawn from the ground as a well (pumped) or spring (flowing) to supply (potable) drinking water. In Polk County, the Upper Floridian Aquifer is our primary drinking water source. Shallow aquifers may also supply drinking water to on-site private wells.
Q: What is a Water Treatment Plant?
A: A facility that collects, processes, and distributes (potable) drinking water through a distribution system for public use. Polk County Utilities operates and maintains 45 water treatment plants.
Q: What is a Wastewater Treatment Plant?
A: A facility that collects and processes wastewater from residential, industrial, and commercial customers. Reclaimed water is also processed here and distributed through a series of reclaimed water mains for irrigation. Polk County Utilities operates and maintains 11 wastewater treatment plants.
Q: What is a Force Main?
A: A pipe that transports wastewater under pressure from a lift station to the wastewater treatment facility.
Q: What is a Lift-Station?
A: The primary collection facility for wastewater within the gravity flow portion of a wastewater collection system. Mechanical pumps feed the wastewater through force mains to the wastewater treatment facility for processing.
Q: What is Sludge?
A: Solid biological particles removed during the wastewater settling and biological aeration process. Sludge may be hauled away to an approved land disposal site or land applied to fields by spray irrigation in accordance with FDEP requirements.
Q: What is a Watershed?
A: A watershed (also called a drainage basin) is an area on the land surface from which stormwater flows or has the potential to flow into a stream or lake. Watersheds are naturally separated from adjacent basins by topographic divides or higher elevations in the land such as hills.
Q: What does a Trophic State Index (TSI) Number Mean?
A: The Trophic State Index is a classification system designed to "rate" individual lakes based on the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll in the water. Using the index we can compare how productive lakes are is by its assigned TSI number. Classifications range from 1 to 100 and are generally described as follows:
- Lakes with TSI values ranging from 0 to 49 are considered to be at the lowest end of the biological productivity scale. In other words: because there are fewer nutrients available in the water, these lakes tend to support less algae, aquatic plants, birds, fish, insects and other wildlife.
- TSI values ranging from 50 to 59 are considered to be moderately productive
- TSI values ranging between 60 and 69 are considered to have fairly high productivity
- Lkes with TSI values ranging from 70 to 100 are the most productive have the highest nutrient concentrations, and have the potential to support the highest level of biological productivity (i.e., an abundance of algae, aquatic plants, birds, fish, insects, and other wildlife.)
These lakes are typically green in color. For additional information on TSI click here.
Q: What is Chlorophyll?
A: Chlorophyll is the chemical compound that makes plants, including algae, green. It is incorporated into their cells to allow them to covert sunlight to energy for growth. An abundance of chlorophyll in lakes typically indicates high algae levels causing the water to turn green in color.
Q: How Can Cigarette Butts Harm a Lake?
A: Tossing a cigarette butt out the car window may not seem harmful, however considering how many thousands of cars drive our roads each day the amount of litter can add up quickly. When it rains, everything on the roadway gets washed into the storm drains and cigarettes contain nicotine which is harmful to fish and other wildlife.
Q: What's New in The Stormwater Quality Program?
A: The Natural Resources Division recently completed construction of a seven acre stormwater treatment pond on the south shore of Lake Mariana, at 711 Marianna Road in Auburndale. Stormwater from an existing drainage ditch has been diverted from the lake to provide treatment to remove nutrients and improve water clarity before being discharged to the Lake. The edge of the pond has been planted with wetland vegetation and the remaining 3 acres of upland are maintained for hiking and viewing wildlife. Several Woodduck boxes have been installed to provide additional nesting areas for the waterfowl.
Q: What is the largest lake in Polk County?
A: Weohyakapka (Walk in the Water) at 7,562 acres
Q: How will I know if a boil water notice has been declared?
A: In the event of a Boil Water Notice declaration by Polk County Utilities, we are using a Reverse 911 process.
For the reverse 911 process, each affected address will received an automated voice mail message notification between the hours of 7:00am and 10:00pm stating the status and what to do. This message will be sent to the local phone line (hardwire) only, i.e. cell phones will not received this automated notification. When the Boil Water notice has been rescinded, or is no longer in effect, customers will again be notified through this reverse 911 system.