City of Delray Beach, FL
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Treatment & Monitoring
Our drinking water is tested daily and meets all of the primary standards set by the Florida Department of Health.
The water treatment plant uses what is known as “lime softening process” to treat raw water prior to distribution to our customers.
What is lime softening? It is a water treatment process that uses limewater to soften water by removing calcium and magnesium ions. In this process, hydrated lime is added to the water to raise its pH level and precipitate the ions that cause hardness.
Upon arrival at the Delray Beach Utilities Water Treatment Plant the raw water is first aerated to remove natural gasses. The water is then blended with treatment chemicals and lime in settling tanks for softening, color and iron removal.
After the blending process a corrosion control inhibitor is added, the water is then disinfected and filtered to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Florida state standards. Prior to distribution, fluoride is injected to help prevent tooth decay.
City of Delray Beach Utilities routinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.
In 2019, The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) performed a source water assessment of our system. The assessment results are available on the FDEP Source Water Assessment and Protection Program web site at: www.dep.state.fl.us/swapp.
The Compliance Division monitors water quality compliance with state and federal standards through sampling, testing, and reporting of test results to regulatory agencies. The Compliance Laboratory Quality Assurance Program ensures that collection and testing is performed as per the National Environmental Laboratory Association Conference's (NELAC) and the Florida Department of Health's most recent standards.