Temple Terrace consultant recommends nanofiltration to remove PFAS; capital cost estimated at about $72 million

Ed Talton, senior principal engineer with CHA Consulting, told the Temple Terrace City Council on May 19 that the city’s two aging treatment plants need substantial renewal and that nanofiltration is the most cost‑effective way to remove PFAS while also softening the city’s very hard water. Talton gave a multi‑part justification for the recommendation, summarized the costs and schedule, and outlined options for handling the concentrated PFAS waste stream.

The presentation said the White Way plant is more than 40 years old and requires major structural, electrical and treatment rehabilitation; Talton said it needs “$30,000,000 to get it back up to speed” even before PFAS treatment is added. CHA recommended consolidating treatment into White Way, converting Sunningdale to a booster station, and installing nanofiltration membranes that both remove PFAS and reduce hardness. Talton said pilot testing showed lower‑cost options such as granular activated carbon and ion exchange fell short because they did not reliably remove enough PFAS and had high operational or media‑replacement costs in Temple Terrace’s source water.

Talton described three core challenges the master plan addresses: (1) renewing aging plant infrastructure, (2) meeting PFAS regulatory requirements, and (3) managing a concentrated waste stream produced by membrane processes. He said concentrate management likely requires deep injection or another proven disposal/destruction technology and that CHA included a line item for concentrate management in its estimates.

The consultant presented an estimated capital cost of roughly $72 million for the recommended renewal plan (about $66 million for White Way upgrades plus roughly $5–6 million for Sunningdale conversion and associated work), and noted additional present‑worth calculations in the report that fold in long‑term operating costs. Talton told council the total includes a $26 million line item for concentrate management and that schedule constraints and supply‑chain lead times argue for moving quickly.

Residents at the meeting urged faster interim mitigation and clearer cost accounting. Longtime resident Chris Barkwin told council he had compared Temple Terrace water with neighboring Tampa and said, “people can’t be drinking this water, which is identified in their own report as possible cancer‑causing for the next five years.” Talton and other staff responded that some interim measures (rented carbon vessels or skid units) could reduce some PFAS but would not address hardness and might be short lived; CHA emphasized that nanofiltration skids are possible but require time to procure and that concentrate disposal remains an implementation decision tied to regulatory approvals.

Council members pressed the consultants on alternatives that the master plan considered: connecting to Tampa or Hillsborough County systems, drilling deeper exploratory wells, or rehabilitating the existing lime softening process. CHA and the city’s rate consultant (Stantec) explained that interconnection costs include both capital and ongoing wholesale water rates; CHA noted the wholesale cost of water from nearby utilities could make a county or Tampa connection more expensive over time despite lower upfront capital. CHA also said deeper wells may bring salt or other issues and that exploratory drilling could be funded through alternative water supply grants if pursued.

Peter Napoli of Stantec presented preliminary rate and financing scenarios tied to a possible bond issuance. His modeling showed issuing roughly $68 million of debt next year would raise annual debt service by about $4.5 million, which under one illustrative approach would translate to a 15% water‑and‑sewer rate increase in 2027 and 10% in 2028 to meet coverage and reserve targets; a line‑of‑credit approach could smooth increases but would shift the timing of when revenue is required. Napoli emphasized the analysis is illustrative and that grant, SRF, or appropriations funding could materially change rate impacts.

No formal council action was taken on the plan. Mayor Andy Ross told attendees the council did not intend to vote that night and scheduled a public town hall for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Lightfoot Center to allow more public engagement and for staff to return with clearer cost breakdowns, funding scenarios and answers to technical follow‑ups. Council members asked staff to seek firm yes/no responses from Tampa and Hillsborough County about interconnection feasibility, refine the concentration‑management options with hydrogeologic input, and evaluate contracting a construction manager or owner’s representative for a project of this scale.

What’s next: staff and consultants will refine costs and funding scenarios and present them at the town hall and in follow‑up briefings; any decision to issue debt, pursue grants, or proceed with design would come to council for formal action at a later meeting.