About
Commissioned in 2009 the Big Coppitt Wastewater Treatment Plant serves Rockland Key, Big Coppitt Key, Geiger Key and Shark Key. The plant treats flows of approximately 129,000 gallons per day to the stringent Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) standards, ensuring discharges do not exceed 3 milligrams per liter of nitrogen and 1 milligram per liter of Phosphorous. Through this process approximately 97% of nutrients (total nitrogen, total phosphorous, total suspended solids and biological oxygen demand) are removed prior to any discharge to the injection well system.
To further minimize this discharge the effluent receives tertiary treatment, producing high quality reclaimed water that is distributed to residents and businesses for use in non-potable applications such as irrigation, car-washing, and boat washing. This last step further reduces nutrient discharges and saves valuable potable water resources that would have been otherwise expended for these non-potable uses.