Mayor Dean Trantalis told the audience that construction of the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center is nearly complete and is scheduled to enter operation by the end of next year. "It will produce 50,000,000 gallons of clean, clear, no longer yellow, clear water," Trantalis said.
Nut graf: The city described the project as a public‑private partnership meant to replace an older plant, increase capacity and resilience and to support water quality improvements across Fort Lauderdale's waterways.
Trantalis said the center is designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and will replace the older Five Ash water treatment plant. He also announced a rollout of 65,000 new smart water meters that will let residents monitor usage online and receive leak alerts. The mayor said the city completed a water system mapping project that fulfilled the last major requirement of a consent order with state regulators.
The address named Marco Aguilera as the city's first chief waterway officer, responsible for compliance, enforcement and environmental protection, and Brad Kane as the new public works director to advance stormwater response. Trantalis said the city will partner with Coastal Conservation of Florida to cultivate oysters in the New River as a natural filtration strategy, and will expand molecular source tracking to five new test sites to pinpoint bacterial sources.
Trantalis also announced a new marine facilities fund to maintain public boat ramps and marinas and expanded waterway testing sites to better monitor water quality.
Ending: City officials framed the combination of treatment capacity, new meters, regulatory compliance and biological restoration (oysters) as a multilayered approach to improving drinking water and protecting the city's waterways.