Palm Bay, FL -- The City of Palm Bay is opening the doors of its South Regional Water Treatment Plant on March 12, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Residents can tour the facility at 250 Osmosis Drive, watch water testing demonstrations, and put questions directly to Utilities Department staff. The event is free and open to the public.
The open house is part of the city’s community outreach effort. It is also a practical opportunity for residents to see, and ask questions about, the infrastructure that treats and delivers their drinking water. The Palm Bayer submitted four questions to the Utilities Department ahead of the event. Their answers are below.
Q&A with Palm Bay Utilities
Q. Can you walk us through the treatment process from source to tap? What are the main steps the water goes through before it reaches residents?
A. At our South Regional Water Treatment Plant (SRWTP), water is pulled from the Floridan Aquifer by our wells and pumped into our treatment facility where it undergoes pretreatment. During this process, the water is dosed with antiscalant to protect our filter membranes and is filtered through to remove sand and sediment. After this, the water travels through our Reverse Osmosis membranes, which remove particles as small as a virus and produce high purity drinking water. Next, the water is pumped to our degasification chambers to remove hydrogen sulfide, which causes an egg-like smell, and improve the taste and odor of our water. Once the degasification is complete, chlorine is added to ensure proper disinfection, and the pH is adjusted for corrosion control. All of the treated water is then sent to our ground storage tanks, which connect to our high service pumps that pump water to our customers 24/7, 365 days of the year.
Q. How does Palm Bay’s drinking water quality compare to state and federal standards? Are there any recent test results or the latest Consumer Confidence Report you can point us to?
A. The City of Palm Bay’s drinking water is in compliance with federal and state regulations. You can find our most recent Consumer Confidence Report on the city’s website.
Q. What is the plant’s current capacity, and how is the city planning for growth in demand as new connections come online?
A. Our SRWTP is rated for 6 million gallons per day (MGD) and our North Regional Water Treatment Plant (NRWTP) is rated for 10 MGD. Our SRWTP is currently being expanded by 2 MGD and can be expanded up to 10 MGD. Additionally, we are currently in the design phase for a Reverse Osmosis plant in the North that will eventually replace the North Lime Softening Treatment Plant.
Q. What can residents do on their end to protect water quality or reduce strain on the system? Any practical tips the department recommends?
A. We always recommend water conservation! This can include simple, everyday things like turning the tap off while you brush your teeth or reusing household water to water plants and clean instead of pouring it down the drain. It’s important to check for leaks as well, especially in your toilets, as they can drip away more than 90 gallons of water per day. This can be done by performing a dye test: place food coloring into the toilet’s tank and let it sit for roughly 15 minutes without flushing. If color appears in the bowl, this can indicate a leak, which can be very costly!
What the Annual Water Quality Report Shows
The city’s compliance answer references the 2025 Consumer Confidence Report, which covers testing conducted in 2024. Two items in that report are worth knowing before you go.
Fluoride. City Council voted unanimously on January 2, 2025 to permanently end water fluoridation. It was not an abrupt reversal: the North Regional plant equipment broke down in January 2016 and the South Regional equipment became inoperable in 2017, meaning the city had not actively fluoridated its water for years. The January 2 meeting included an extended public comment period, with healthcare professionals split on the issue. Florida’s Surgeon General had issued a recommendation against community water fluoridation in November 2024 due to neuropsychiatric risks. Utilities Director Gabriel Bowden explained at the meeting that the fluoride infrastructure would be repurposed to hold liquid ammonia, used to create chloramines, a longer-lasting disinfectant. The Palm Bayer covered the decision at the time. Residents who weren’t following the January 2025 council meeting may not know fluoridation was ended permanently.
PFAS. Testing conducted between June and December 2024 detected PFOA, a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, in two locations: at trace levels averaging 0.0079 parts per billion at the North Regional plant and 0.0083 parts per billion at an aquifer storage and recovery well. The South Regional plant came in below the minimum reporting level. The EPA set a new maximum contaminant level for PFOA at 0.004 parts per billion in 2024. The levels detected at the north locations are above that threshold. No violation has been declared. Under EPA’s rule, water systems have until 2029 to achieve compliance, and the city is monitoring and reporting as required.
Neither item means the water is unsafe to drink. Both are the kind of details the staff at the open house can speak to directly.
Questions Worth Bringing
This is a guided tour, not a public hearing. But the staff who will be there know the system, and an hour with them is worth using well.
On PFAS: What is the city’s plan to bring the north locations into compliance with the EPA’s 0.004 ppb MCL before the 2029 deadline? Is the new north RO plant part of that strategy?
On capacity: The South Regional expansion adds 2 MGD. At what demand level does the next expansion phase begin, and what is the expected timeline?
On the north plant replacement: What is the estimated cost and timeline for the new reverse osmosis facility planned for the north service area?
On water quality generally: If residents have specific questions about taste, odor, or anything in the CCR, the staff at this event are the right people to ask.
The Details
What: City of Palm Bay Water Treatment Plant Open House. Guided tours, water testing demonstrations, Q&A with Utilities Department staff.
When: Thursday, March 12, 2026. 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
Where: South Regional Water Treatment Plant, 250 Osmosis Drive, Palm Bay, FL 32909.
Contact: Celia Killen, Outreach Coordinator, City of Palm Bay Utilities. Celia.Killen@palmbayfl.gov, (321) 952-3410 ext. 7015.
It’s a one-hour window. Free. Worth the drive.
Sources
City of Palm Bay Utilities Department Q&A response to The Palm Bayer (March 2, 2026), via Celia Killen, Outreach Coordinator
City of Palm Bay 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (testing performed 2024)
City of Palm Bay Open House Press Release (February 23, 2026)
What Happened at Palm Bay’s Latest City Council Meeting? (January 3, 2025) — fluoridation vote coverage
