Welcome To The T.B. Williams Plant Tour
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Ariel View of the Williams Plant |
Lakeland's municipal water supply has always come from our own wells. The City's water system has been continually improved since the first well was drilled in 1905. As part of a major system upgrade, the water plant went into continuous operation in April of 1983. Thirteen wells drilled 750 feet (on average) into the Floridian aquifer provide the raw (untreated) water to this 51 million gallon per day capacity split-treatment plant.
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Raw Water Well Pump |
Raw Water Well Pump
The 13 supply wells are consolidated into a concentrated well field located northwest of the city where ground water is available in an adequate amount to meet demand. The quality of the well water entering the plant is generally good. However, some treatment is required to ensure that the water delivered to your home or business is both safe to drink and esthetically pleasing. An additional wellfield, located northeast of Lakeland, will provide sufficient amounts of water for the expected future population growth in the area. |
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Upflow Units (softeners)
About 30% of the water entering the plant is sent to the upflow units to be softened and clarified with lime and polymers. After it is treated, this softened water is sent to the filters and then re-blended with raw water to produce a minimally corrosive product. During softening, lime (calcium oxide) is added to the raw water, the solution is mixed vigorously, and chemical precipitation (removal) of hardness is accomplished. Coagulants and polymers are added to speed up the reaction and enhance the removal of the unwanted by-product (calcium carbonate).
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Filtration
After the upflow treatment units, softened water goes to the dual-media filters to have suspended particles removed. The water is allowed to percolate (flow downward) through layers of anthracite coal and sand. These filters can process 30 million gallons of water daily. After approximately 72 hours of operation, the filters get "dirty" from suspended particles they have trapped. A filter is cleaned by backwashing it with treated water and large volumes of compressed air. A cleaning cycle uses 500,000 gallons of water, which is allowed to flow into a recovery basin and then pumped into a sludge thickener. Once sediments are removed, the water is recycled.
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Clearwell/Pump Room
Softened and raw water are blended and aerated to vent any trapped gases. Both streams then flow into the 700,000 gallon clearwell. Variable and constant speed high service pumps maintain a stable system pressure of 56psi by pumping water into the distribution system from the clearwell through the 54-inch discharge main.
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Chlorinators
To prevent bacterial contamination in Lakeland's water distribution system, gaseous chlorine is injected from these chlorinators at several points in the treatment process. The water is also treated with precisely measured amounts of fluoride. Fluoridation has been shown to reduce the incidence in children's tooth decay by over 60 percent and is highly recommended by dentists and government health agencies.
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Ground Storage/Standby Generators
Two five million gallon ground storage reservoirs hold treated water to meet peak demands and emergency situations. The plant is also equipped with two 1250 KWH standby units to generate power in the event of an electrical outage. If needed, these generators can enable the plant to pump over half its maximum daily demand for extended periods.
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Control Room
All pumping, treatment, and distribution aspects of the plant operation are computer controlled. The automated systems monitor pressure and flow throughout the plant and service area, making adjustments as necessary. In emergency situations, plant operations personnel can assume manual control.
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Highlands Pumping Station
To make sure all customers receive sufficient water at the right pressure, the distribution system delivers consistent pressure throughout the service area. This booster station in the city's south quadrant uses four high service pumps to step up the pressure to the Highlands locale, which is situated higher than other parts of the service area. A 3 million gallon reservoir and pumping station are in place to meet emergency and peak demands and relieve strain on the rest of the system.
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