Water-Related News

Polk water treatment facility receives award

Polk's Central Water Treatment Facility receives Associated Builders and Contractors' Eagle Award

BARTOW – Polk County Utilities’ Central Water Treatment Facility recently received the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Eagle Award.

The award recognizes excellence in design, quality of craftsmanship, attention to detail, proper installation, outstanding planning and coordination efforts, project complexity, challenges successfully overcome, custom materials, safety program and owner satisfaction.

“The construction company for this project was Wharton-Smith, Inc.,” said Tamara Richardson, Polk County’s utility director. “From the first day of the project, it was easy to see that Wharton-Smith understood the importance of our mission to provide Polk County residents with clean water and environmentally safe wastewater management. They took as much pride in the project as we did and it shows.”

Construction on the $20 million project commenced in late 2017 and the plant was commissioned in September of 2019. The plant, which is located in the Central Regional Utility Service Area, includes advanced treatment technologies to ensure compliance with safe drinking water standards.

Polk County Utilities provides safe drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment systems to nearly 68,000 accounts in unincorporated communities in Polk County. In some service areas, Polk County Utilities also provides reclaimed water services.