Water Supply and Treatment

Boca Raton's Water Treatment History

Boca Raton has always been at the forefront of advanced drinking water treatment. In 1927, the City constructed one of the first municipal water treatment facilities in South Florida.

Clarence H. Geist convinced the Town Council of the importance of a town water supply, and even provided a loan to the town for the project. The water works facility was located on the site that is now City Hall. It treated 500,000 gallons of water per day and also included a water tower more than 100 feet tall.

Boca Membrane
Water plant

Raw Water Supply 

The City of Boca Raton's raw water supply is from the Biscayne Aquifer. This raw groundwater supply in South Florida contains relatively high levels of naturally occurring dissolved organic material. Consequently, as in many South Florida communities, Boca Raton’s drinking water was high in color. While color does not pose a health concern, it is aesthetically objectionable to many consumers.

Water Treatment

In the late 1990’s, City leaders began a project to comply with new, more stringent water quality regulations and to dramatically improve the aesthetic quality of the drinking water supplied to customers. The City Council authorized final design and construction of a 40 million-gallon-per-day (mgd), state-of-the-art membrane softening process at the Glades Road Utility Services complex.

The water supply is also supplemented with the city's lime softening treatment process which is typically the primary means of treatment for many of the other water treatment facilities in South Florida and the nation.

Today, residents can rely on the modern, 70 mgd water treatment plant located at the Utility Services complex for high quality drinking water.