01/23/2001 - Joint Meeting CC & EABJOINT MEETING
CITY COMMISSION & ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD
January 23, 2001
Present: Brian J. Aungst Mayor/Commissioner – departed 5:05 p.m.
J. B. Johnson Vice-Mayor/Commissioner – departed 5:02 p.m.
Robert Clark Commissioner
F. David Hemerick Commissioner
Freda Drake EAB Chair
Allan Stowell EAB Member
David Rhame EAB Member
Absent: Ed Hart Commissioner
Alan Smith EAB Vice Chair
Dennis Kelenberger EAB Member
Also present: William B. Horne II Interim City Manager
Garry Brumback Assistant City Manager
Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk
Mashid Arasteh Public Works Administrator
Tom Miller Assistant Director of Engineering
Brenda Moses Board Reporter
The meeting opened at 3:34 p.m. at the Dunedin Reverse Osmosis Plant at 1401 County Road 1, Dunedin, Florida. Dunedin Mayor Tom Anderson, Dunedin City Manager John Lawrence, and other
members of the Dunedin City Commission and staff were present.
Years ago, Dunedin experienced water quality and pipe problems and decided to address them by constructing a reverse osmosis water treatment plant. There are 150 reverse osmosis plants
in Florida. Representatives from cities worldwide have visited the Dunedin plant to review the process. Dunedin recently received an award as the best operated water treatment plant
in the state.
Dunedin City staff presented a history of Dunedin’s water quality problems, technical, and financial aspects of the reverse osmosis process, and reviewed alternative water supplies.
The population of Dunedin is 37,000. Residential customers use an average of 5,000 gallons of water per month. Dunedin meters individual homes for reclaimed water to control use and
costs. Dunedin customers do not need water softeners because of the high quality of water provided by the City. The reverse osmosis plant cost Dunedin $11 million to construct, including
costs related to storage. Costs to run the water system are $ .95/1,000 gallons of water, excluding distribution costs and cost sharing to the general fund. Water costs paid by Clearwater
to Pinellas County is currently $1.79/1,000 gallons of untreated water. Bob Brotherton, Dunedin’s Director of Public Works/Utilities, said the plant pumps 4.8 MGD (million gallons/day)
and produces 3.85 MGD. He said Dunedin’s built-out population will be served by the plant, eliminating the
need to construct a larger plant in the future. He said it is important for a city to recognize their water quality issues in the early stages of the process. Dunedin pumps approximately
one million gallons of water per day less than in 1992. Mr. Brotherton suggested that Clearwater
seriously consider their water needs over the next few years due to escalating water costs. Cities throughout Pinellas County must convert their systems in order to be compatible with
the County’s new chloramine system being implemented within the next 24 months.
Attendees toured the reverse osmosis plant from 5:05 to 5:35 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m.