Land Application Site

The City of Jacksonville Land Treatment Site treats up to 6 millions gallons of wastewater daily, which is re-purposed back into the environment. Wastewater that has been naturally purified is distributed to cultivated forest land on the site. Trees are grown and harvested for sale to help sustain a healthy local economy.

This $50 million investment is an investment for the future of our community and provides a positive environmental impact by:

  • Disposal of wastewater in an environmentally safe manner
  • Eliminating the discharge of up to 5.2 million gallons daily (MGD) of treated wastewater into the New River
  • Providing a 6,300 acre site, which provides an environment where wildlife flourishes
  • Allows treated wastewater after natural purification to be recycled back into the groundwater reservoir

Wastewater Performance Report

The Wastewater Performance Report examines the accomplishments and challenges met by the City’s Land Treatment Facility and Collection System. Land Treatment Annual Report (PDF)

Operations

The land treatment site covers a 6,300 acre site with over 1/3 of this land dedicated to spray irrigation fields where pine trees are cultivated. The spray fields contain over 18,000 sprinkler nozzles. Treatment at the site can be broken down into four steps:

  • Biological treatment lagoons and storage                
  • Disinfection          
  • Screening and grit removal                
  • Spray irrigation of treated wastewater in forested areas 

Lagoons

The treatment lagoons cover 10 acres of land and have a capacity of 40 million gallons. They provide biological treatment of the wastewater with the assistance of floating aerators.

The storage lagoons cover 90 acres of land and have a capacity of 340 million gallons when full. They provide storage of treated wastewater during periods of inclement weather when spray irrigation is not feasible.

The treated wastewater will be applied in the spray irrigation field at the rate of 1.4 inches per acre per week during the summer months and 0.7 inches per acre per week during the winter months. The final purification of the treated wastewater is provided by the soil and trees, which function as a living filter. They remove nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which in turn support rapid tree growth.