Water + stuff

Water
I used a fairly simple water test kit measuring temperature, pH and turbidity on Lake Bonny just outside of the studio at Mira Lago.


Lakeland's 2009 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report details the city's water source:

Eighteen wells (13 wells at the T.B. Williams WTP and 5 wells a t the C.W.Combee WTP) drilled 750 feet into the Floridan aquifer, cased and grouted 200 feet below the surface provide raw water to the City’s two lime softening plants. Utilizing a variety of treatment processes the operators control the blending of raw water with softened water to produce water with stability slightly on the scale forming side (utilizing Langlier's Saturation Index as the primary parameter). After blending the water, it is then filtered utilizing dual media filters consisting of anthracite and sand. The finished water is then delivered to the transmission/distribution system using high service pumps to maintain system pressure. Chemical addition includes calcium hydroxide (lime) and anionic polymer in the lime softening process, starch for sludge conditioning, fluoride for dental health, phosphate for calcium chelation prior to filtration and chlorination.

And what happens after we've used and drained down the pipes, the Wastewater Collection System helps take care of things:

The Collection Section is divided into two main operating sections. These section are the Line Maintenance and Pump Stations sections. Line maintenance deals with the collection and conveyance systems which encompasses approximately 40,000 square miles of sewer use area with 300 miles of gravity sewer and 50 miles of force mains. This system is used to deliver the raw sewage to the Wastewater Treatment Plants. Pump Stations are used to assist in the conveyance of wastewater to the treatment plants. The gravity sewer lines move the wastewater by use of gravity to flow to low areas. Once in the these low areas, a pump station is used to move the wastewater along until it can again flow by gravity. The lines that come out of a pump station are called force mains because the wastewater in these line are under pressure.

Information on the aforementioned two (2) Wastewater Treatment Plants respectively:

The Glendale Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WWRF) is located at 1825 Glendale Street in Southeast Lakeland. The facility began operation in 1926 as a 2.5 MGD primary setting and sludge digestion facility. Treated effluent was discharged through Stahl Canal to Banana Lake, and ultimately the Peace River. In 1987 the City of Lakeland changed its discharge point by constructing a 1400 acre Artificial Wetlands Treatment System (AWTS) in Mulberry. Effluent from the WWRF is pumped to the AWTS and ultimately flows to the Alafia River.

The Northside Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WWRF) was designed in 1986 to treat wastewater flow from the North Lakeland Service Area. The Northside pumping station, which had discharged to the Glendale WWRF, acts as the major source of wastewater for the facility. Other major wastewater pumping stations that contribute flow to the Northside operations include Northeast, Socrum Loop, Wedgewood, Interstate, American Cyanamid, and Eastside Village pumping stations. Thus, the Northside plant provides for future growth in the northern sections of the City. In 1988, the Northside plant started operation. It is located just north of the McIntosh power plant. The facility was initially permitted for a 4.0 MGD annual average daily flow (AADF). In 1996 the Northside operation was expanded and now has a liquid treatment capacity of 8.0 MGD and a solids treatment capacity of 6.25 MGD. The facility uses a secondary treatment process to treat the raw wastewater. The process utilized is an Activated Sludge System that is called the "Carrousel Process".

Treated effluent from the WWRF is pumped to a 1.5 MG storage tank located at the entrance to the plant site. Treated effluent is stored in the tank and is reused as cooling water by the McIntosh power plant. Cooling water requirements that exceed the flow from the Northside WWRF are supplied from the W. Carl Dicks WWRF. Excess effluent, exceeding the requirements of the power plant, is bypassed for disposal at the Lakeland Artificial Wetlands Treatment System. Waste sludge from the WWTF is treated using a process to further reduce pathogens (PFRP). The process used is the Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) method. The ATAD process produces a Class A stabilized residual product. The Class A residuals are land applied in accordance with FDEP and EPA requirements.

Electricity


From Lakeland Electric's website (a time chart of its history is also available):

Power is generated at Lakeland Electric’s two main power plants, the 941-megawatt McIntosh Power Plant and the 176-megawatt Larsen Power Plant. The utility also operates a group of energy-efficient generating units capable of providing up to 50-megawatts of additional electricity when other units are out of service or during periods when demand for electricity is highest.

Electricity <-> Solid waste


Providing services twice a week for each household, Lakeland's Solid Waste Management Division sends out 41 trucks to transport the over 100,000 ton (annually) collection. The abstract from Charles W. Hiers's article entitled Electricity from Solid Waste At Lakeland, FL gives some basic info on the process:

The City of Lakeland, Florida, Department of Electric and Water Utilities owns and operates a municipal electric utility system to generate and distribute electric power. The Utility serves over 60,000 customers in a 260 square mile service area. It is one of the first pioneers of burning municipal solid waste (MSW) as a supplemental fuel to generate electric power in the U.S.A.

A 364 MW steam turbine generating unit was designed to fire eastern bituminous coal and a combination of pulverized coal and 10% processed MSW.

 Yay for science. I do think that if I even attempt to relay the details of this system to my grandmother, she would probably roll her eyes and go back hand-washing her clothes.