The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) is reporting another year of high-quality drinking water, even as it prepares for a costly overhaul of its treatment system to meet new federal standards for PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.”
FKAA Executive Director Greg Veliz joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on with water.
The annual water quality report is now available online and details the extensive testing performed throughout the year.
“Every year we have to do a water quality report,” Veliz said. “It gives you a rundown of the system, how we process the water, what we do, and then it gives you the quality reports for the year. We take a lot of heat and a lot of jokes, but we have very good water quality reports.”
Veliz noted the utility has consistently earned recognition for its drinking water.
“We regularly win the Water Taste Award for South Florida and have for a few years now,” he said. “This year we won it for the state, so we’re in possession of the state trophy, which is pretty cool.”
The report, available at fkaa.com, shows the Keys continue to meet current drinking water standards. However, the utility is now preparing for stricter federal PFAS regulations that will require significant upgrades at its Florida City treatment plant.
“We’re still under the PFAS mandate, and we’re moving toward taking the PFAS completely out of the water,” Veliz said. “We were always within the previous regulations, but now that they’ve basically taken the regulation down to zero, we have to get there.”
The project is expected to cost approximately $100 million, with no dedicated federal or state funding currently available.
“Everything has to be done with existing funds,” Veliz said. “At this point there have been no federal funds, no state funds made available.”
The federal government has provided utilities several years to comply with the new standards, though Veliz said the Aqueduct Authority has already begun planning for the transition.
He emphasized that customers should not be alarmed by the current PFAS levels.
“It’s nothing more than you have been exposed to for as long as we’ve been here, and probably other places,” Veliz said. “PFAS is everywhere. It’s in the clothes you’re wearing. It’s in the laundry. It’s everywhere. We just have to get it out of the drinking water.”
Meanwhile, the FKAA continues replacing aging sections of the Keys’ transmission pipeline, one of the authority’s largest long-term infrastructure investments.
Veliz said work between mile markers 86 and 92 is substantially complete.
“We’ve done all the tie-ins,” he said. “We’ve got some asphalt work and some curb work to do, but 86 to 92 is done. That was a problem part.”
Replacing the aging water main remains an enormous financial undertaking.
“We’re going to run out of money before we run out of projects,” Veliz said. “It’s been a constant battle of $10 million a mile. Eventually you’re talking about a billion dollars. It’s going to have to be done.”
The utility did receive $10 million in this year’s Florida state budget to continue infrastructure improvements.
“We feel like we did well,” Veliz said. “We had started out lower, and we ended up getting our share.”
Veliz also highlighted progress on the new reverse osmosis plant in Marathon, which recently proved its value during a major water main break over the Fourth of July holiday.
“That RO plant running constantly throughout that weekend was huge for us,” he said. “We came back quicker than we’ve ever come back before, so it does make a difference.”
As summer demand continues, Veliz encouraged residents to conserve water whenever possible, noting that landscape irrigation accounts for the Keys’ largest water demand.
“Lawn maintenance is our biggest draw,” he said. “If some irrigation systems can be cut off for a little while and give us a break, that helps.”
Veliz also thanked residents for their patience during ongoing construction projects.
“Thanks everyone for being so understanding with the construction projects,” he said. “We’re going to keep getting it done for you.”