New technology to treat wastewater

Last spring, residents in 16 counties were told water was in such short supply that washing cars was prohibited.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District imposed some of the toughest water use restrictions in history.

That prompted Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda to wonder if treated wastewater could be converted into drinking water.

After all, 55 million gallons of treated sewage is dumped into Tampa bay on a daily basis.

The answer to his question can be found in the corner of a small office in Odessa.

"We're able to clean anything from salt water to waste water into perfectly clean water," said Brian Johnson, the director of new product commercialization at Dais Analytic.

The company has perfected something called "nano-technology." It allows plastic membranes to filter out harmful chemicals and other solids and produce drinkable water.

In fact, Johnson took water from a small purification machine in his Odessa office and drank a glass.

Now the company will take its technology into the field. It will begin using an out-of-service Pasco sewer plant.

"We'll start by treating their reclaimed water and raising it drinking water standards as a test for expanding this technology out into the field," Johnson said.

County commissioners are enthusiastic about the upcoming trials.

"The technology is there, it's absolutely there," said Commissioner Michael Cox. "The only challenge is to determine the cost implications of converting water water into drinkable water."

Next week the Tampa City Council will hold a workshop meeting to discuss what to do with its wastewater. The solution may be right across the county line.