Utilities - Wastewater Division

Responsibilities

  • For emergency WATER issues, call: 352.253.4229
  • For emergency SEWER issues, call 352.253.4279
  • Questions about your Utility Bill, Water Meter, Water, or Sewer Services are handled by the Finance Department.  Call 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday: 352.742.6400 or Email Utility Billing.
  • Tavares Utilities Department provides potable water, wastewater treatment, and reclaimed water for irrigation, serving homes and businesses throughout Tavares. The utility is a government-owned enterprise fully funded by customer rates, not tax dollars.

The Wastewater Division operates one water reclamation facility and the old Caroline Facility, which has been converted into a .5MGD Master lift station.  The recently expanded Woodlea Road Water Reclamation Facility is an extended aeration facility with pretreatment screening, aeration, clarification, filtration, chlorination, and sludge treatment.  The facility presently has a capacity of 3.0 million gallons daily and can upgrade to a 3.5mgd facility with additional process control equipment.

We currently treat approximately 1.5 million gallons daily. The treated wastewater is pumped to rapid infiltration basins for disposal, which are rotated weekly. Laboratory testing of all waste (liquid and solid) generated is conducted on-site to meet State and Federal Regulations. Activities include weekly, quarterly, and yearly sampling of the treated water, groundwater, and treated waste sludge for compliance. 

The division currently maintains and operates 70 lift stations throughout the City.  Lift stations are regional pumping stations designed to pump wastewater from smaller areas to wastewater treatment facilities. We electronically monitor all lift stations to maintain oversight 24/7/365 to preserve and protect the public health and environment. Modifications are ongoing at the facility to help maintain existing energy rates or chemical costs. We presently have two full-time certified operators who hold double “A” licensure from the state of Florida and one part-time class “C” to assist with weekend coverage. The

The city is presently working on a plan to rehabilitate and increase the capacity of the wastewater collection system in the CRA District. This area has antiquated infrastructure over 50 years old, with undersized piping inadequate for today's needs. Infrastructure this old requires continuous and expensive maintenance. The City recently received a $15.5M loan with a $1.5M grant from the USDA to complete this work.

Laboratory

The City of Tavares Wastewater Utilities Laboratory is certified by the Florida Department of Health under NELAC (National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Certification). Fields of accreditation include fundamental environmental and microbiological analysis for non-potable water and microbiological analysis for potable water. The Laboratory currently analyzes weekly wastewater samples for FDEP plant compliance and quarterly residuals for EPA and FDEP monitoring well compliance samples. Samples are also accepted for troubleshooting plant and field operations, with an average throughput of 4,200 analyses performed annually. Laboratory staff are CPO Certified and oversee chemical balancing of the City’s Splash Park to assure compliance with the Department of Health regulations.