Dade County presented and secured SPLOST funding on Oct. 2 to replace a leaking backwash tank at the county water treatment plant.

Elizabeth Zeller, identified at the meeting as representing the Dade County Water Treatment Plant, told commissioners the tank — in service since 1962 — developed a leak at the base and is beyond repair. The replacement tank quoted to the county costs $453,312 and will have about a 96,000-gallon capacity and stand roughly six feet taller than the current unit, Zeller said.

Zeller described the procurement and installation plan: the county signed a contract with American Tank (the county’s tank contractor) and will receive a fabricated replacement that includes powder coating and paint provided as part of the contractor’s scope. The vendor agreed to waive temporary tank rental fees; the county will use portable tanks on site during installation. Zeller said the county has the vendor under contract for ongoing maintenance and that the company had evaluated the plant’s other tanks and recommended replacement for this unit because sandblasting or on-site repairs risked leaving the system without backup.

During Q&A, staff said the leak amounts to about 5 gallons per minute (about 7,200 gallons per day), which Zeller noted equates to approximately 216,000 gallons lost in a month's time; that water is unmetered because it is part of the filter backwash process and not returned to the distribution system. Zeller said the county has no other imminent tank failures reported by the tank company; the replacement timeline from start to completion is roughly 15 weeks once fabrication and scheduling are set.

The commissioner chair placed the item on the consent agenda; the consent package, including the SPLOST appropriation for the backwash tank, passed by unanimous vote.

The county will continue to work with the tank fabricator and contractor to finalize scheduling, and public works staff will coordinate temporary storage and site work during installation.