Wastewater and Reclaimed Water

At the City of Apopka we face the critical challenge of supplying enough water to meet the ever growing needs of our population in the most economical way possible. Proper treatment and reuse, or disposal of domestic and industrial wastewater, is essential for protecting our most valuable resource, the Floridian aquifer. Fresh water is vital for our health, our environment, our economy, and our future. Water forms the basis for almost all of Florida’s ecosystems. At the City of Apopka we augment the use of fresh water by turning 100% of our wastewater into public access reuse water for irrigation.

Each person in Apopka generates about 100 gallons of domestic wastewater daily. This wastewater must be managed to protect public health, water quality, recreation, fish and wildlife health, the environment, and the aesthetic appeal of our waterways. 

The City of Apopka collects and treats approximately 3 million gallons of domestic and industrial wastewater every day through a system of over 280 miles of gravity and force main pipes, 168 lift stations, and the water reclamation facility Project ARROW (Apopka Regional Reuse of Water). Our finally effluent reuse water meets all state and federal requirements for discharge.

For almost 50 years the City of Apopka has produce quality reuse water for irrigation of residential lawns and green spaces, agricultural irrigation, irrigation of golf courses, street sweeping, dust control, and aquifer recharge.

The City provides over 8 million gallons of reuse water every day to over 9,300 residences and businesses. We have entered into agreements with other municipalities to augment our supply verses demand situation. We currently take quality treated reuse water from Utilities Inc, The City of Altamonte Springs, and Orange County.

The City of Apopka’s Water, Wastewater, and Reuse infrastructure is monitored 24 hours a day seven days a week with a full service Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. SCADA has been in use by the City since the early 1990’s and monitors all operations. In the event of a equipment malfunction in our system, the SCADA system calls a member of the operations staff to advise them of the location and type of malfunction. The use of this technology expedites operations ability to correct any problems and maintain quality service throughout our treatment process and insure compliance with our permits.

Water Quality Parameter2020 Raw Influent Annual Average2020 Final Effluent Annual AveragePermit RequirementPercent Removed by Project ARROW
BOD238 mg/L1.1 mg/L
20.0 mg/L99.50%
TSS275 mg/L0.8 mg/L5.0 mg/L99.70%
Nitrogen50 mg/L3.9 mg/L10.0 mg/L92.10%
Oil and Grease26.5 mg/L1.04 mg/LNot Applicable96.10%

City of Apopka Water Facility from the sky

City of Apopka Water Facility from sky