Coral Springs Water: Better than Bottled!

Coral Springs water is as safe as you can get. That’s what Lou Aurigemma claims, and he should know. He is the City Engineer and head of the City Public Works department. Well Water! That’s  exactly what we are drinking.

Coral Springs draws its water from the Biscayne Aquifer, a fresh water source 180 feet below us.  This water source is constantly being replenished by rain water. Almost all of the cities in South Florida ‘dip their straws’ to this region and draw the water that they need.

In Coral Springs water is supplied to residents from three utilities.  The center part of the city is supplied by the City of Coral Springs public works.  If you live south of Royal Palm, its Coral Springs Improvement District. North of Wiles, it’s the North Springs District. These two utilities are independent of the city and are not under the city control.  

The City of Coral Springs water treatment facility is located on 85th Avenue, north of Sample Road.  This facility is responsible for 8 million gallons of water per day , and has a total capacity of 16 million. ( 1 gallons = 40 of those 1 pint bottle water).   The facility is state of the art with the control room looking like those in a nuclear reactor. The treatment facility gathers the water supply from 19 wells located around the center part of the city.  Not all the wells are drawn at the same time but rather  they are cycled. This makes certain that no well will dry out and that the water supply is always the same quality.

Pumps drive the water to the treatment areas where chlorine gas is injected along with other chemicals designed to  sanitize the supply and remove any particles that may have come from underground.  The water is filtered though sand and then stored in tanks above ground. The storage of water guarantees that there is no shortage ever even in peak use.  There are 2 other locations in town where water is also stored.  The same water that feeds our home taps, also feeds the fire hydrants. The storage of water allows for emergency use for our fire department when a  major fire occurs.

The treatment facility has a huge diesel generator that kicks in when any power failures occur and can run the facility for several weeks in case of a major outage, that may occur during a hurricane.

The analysis of the water supply is done yearly by an outside laboratory and quarterly by the department.   Culture samples of the water are taken regularly to make certain no bacteria ever enters the supply. 

How does this water compare to bottled water?  According to Mr. Aurigemma,  it’s as good as bottled if not better.

First, bottled water does not contain fluoride so that people that consume only bottle water end up with more cavities.

Second, the Biscayne Aquifer water is as good as it gets. The water contains  minerals that you would find in vitamins, and its all natural.

For those of us that do not want the chlorine taste he recommends adding a charcoal filter, the ones that you can buy at the hardware store or plumbing supply company. The filter removes the chlorine but not the fluoride.

Is the water really safe? Here is a picture of  Lou drinking from the water cooler at the plant,  no bottled water here!!

However, embarrassing as it may seem the Zephyrhills truck keeps refilling the water coolers over at the City Hall. They should take a tip from Lou and drink Coral Springs water.   It’s much better for them and it would save the taxpayers money.