RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — The city of Riviera Beach held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new, state-of-the-art water treatment facility Wednesday afternoon.
WATCH BELOW: 'Our goal right now is to get this prepared for the next water plant,' Mayor Douglas Lawson tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
The ceremony was held at 2391 Avenue L—a block away from the current plant. City officials and residents grabbed shovels to mark the start of construction.
The groundbreaking marks a turning point for a city that has faced years of contamination complaints, lawsuits and distrust over its drinking water supply.
The new facility is expected to provide clean, reliable water for residents, the city said.
City officials invited residents who had been persistent in demanding change and who were pivotal in pushing for the new facility.
Resident Mary Braham was among the citizens honored at the ceremony. WPTV's Ethan Stein first spoke with Braham two years ago when she reported seeing yellow water coming from her faucet and said she had spent hundreds of dollars on bottled water.
"Without a clean drinking source supply line you would not exist," Braham said.
When asked what she was looking forward to with the new facility, Braham said she was hopeful for what comes next.
"Renewed hope and prosperity," Braham said. "I want to feel safe where I can cook and drink the water and utilize the water and I've been assured they're going to take care of that."
The $280 million plant will be equipped with advanced purification technology, including five nanofiltration trains, five reverse osmosis trains, and ultrafiltration pre-treatment systems. An additional $120 million is estimated for the wells and operational components required to run the plant upon completion, making the total cost $400 million, according to the city.
The facility is designed for both current needs and future growth. It will initially process 14 million gallons of water daily, with the capacity to expand to 16 million gallons. Key features include a 5-million-gallon ground storage tank and five new high-service pumps to ensure efficient water distribution throughout the city. The project also includes the construction of an administrative building for operations and management staff, the city said.
Riviera Beach Mayor Douglas Lawson said investments have already been made to keep the current facility operational while the new plant is built.
"We've already invested millions of dollars into actually keeping the facility running," Lawson said. "We have the life expectancy of another 10-15 if not 20 years on the current facility, so we want to make sure that we keep that sustainable and we've made those investments into infrastructure. Our goal right now is to get this prepared for the next water plant."
Lawson said the city is still working to determine who will operate the new facility and is pursuing grants and additional funding to help cover the $400 million cost.
WATCH BELOW: Riviera Beach residents distrust tap water after years of contamination
Resident Scott Lewis, who two years ago said he did not trust city officials and described finding contamination in his drinking water, said he is now cautiously optimistic — though he has installed a reverse osmosis system at his kitchen sink as a precaution.
"I put in a reverse osmosis in," Lewis said, explaining his reasoning plainly.
"Because I'm never going to drink poop in my water again," Lewis said.
Lewis said the groundbreaking is a long-overdue but welcome development.
"It's really an exciting moment for the city and I think it's terrific, unfortunately it's 10 years overdo but it's finally great to know we're going to have clean water on the horizon," Lewis said. "This is going a long way to restoring the trust with the community in their city leaders."
The city said the construction timeline projects substantial completion by February 2029, with final completion expected by mid-2030.
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