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Manatee County Commissioners take 'first drink' from newly retrofitted water treatment plant

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  • Manatee County Commissioners and staff took a “first drink” of water from the newly retrofitted water treatment plant on Wednesday.
  • Previously used “media” filters, installed in the 1960s and 1970s, can sometimes allow larger particles through, requiring more manpower to manage.
  • The $50 million project began four years ago, and that cost is already accounted for in current rates.
  • The project does not address the taste and odor issues residents complained about last summer, which naturally occur each year, some years worse than others.
  • Manatee County Commission voted 5-1 to roll back local environmental protections in the comp plan by cutting the size of wetland buffers, despite public outcry and opposition from Suncoast Waterkeepers.
  • The amendment to Manatee County’s comp plan is currently being challenged in court.