Sarasota celebrates completion of water plant rehabilitation project

Water plant is the largest of its type in the United States; designed to maximize drinking water yield from wells

Sarasota County marked the completion Monday of Phase 2 of the $52 Million rehabilitation of the Carlton Water Treatment Facility, at the T. Mabry Carlton Reserve off of Border Road near Venice.

The facility, which uses a process called electrodialysis reversal to transform groundwater pulled from wells at the T. Mabry Carlton Reserve into drinking water, opened in the mid-1990s.

The rehabilitation process began in the mid-2010s, as the 10 electrodialysis reversal units were nearing the end of their useful life.

The two-phased approach allowed the continued operation of the plant throughout the process.

Phase 1 was completed in June 2021.

Phase 2 began the following September and was completed in October.

The treatment process removes minerals and salt from brackish water drawn from wells that tap the intermediate Floridan Aquifer and treats it to be indistinguishable in taste to the surface water supplied by the Peace River Manasota Water Supply Authority.