Report on Infrastructure Development for Sustainable Water Management in Port St. Lucie

The City of Port St. Lucie is undertaking a significant infrastructure project at the Prineville Water Treatment Facility, located at 1001 SE Prineville Street. The construction of a second deep-injection well represents a strategic investment in sustainable water management, directly supporting several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project, marked by the installation of a 130-foot drill rig, is scheduled for completion by May 2026.

Project Specifications and Strategic Objectives

Technical Overview

The project involves drilling a new deep-injection well to a depth of 3,350 feet. This depth places it approximately 2,000 feet below the deepest drinking water sources within the Floridan Aquifer, providing a critical safeguard against contamination.

Operational Purpose

The primary function of the deep-injection well is the safe and permanent disposal of mineral concentrate, a byproduct of the reverse osmosis water filtration process. Key operational data includes:

• The Prineville plant treats approximately 12 million gallons of drinking water per day.
• This process generates an average of 2 million gallons of mineral concentrate daily for disposal.
• The new well is being installed to provide redundancy for the facility’s existing well, ensuring uninterrupted and safe operations.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This infrastructure project is fundamentally aligned with the global agenda for sustainable development, making substantial contributions to the following SDGs:

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The project is a direct action towards achieving SDG 6 by:

1. Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
2. Implementing advanced wastewater treatment solutions to protect water resources.
3. Improving the resilience of the municipal water supply system through infrastructure redundancy.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The construction demonstrates a commitment to SDG 9 by:

• Building resilient infrastructure that supports community well-being.
• Utilizing innovative technologies (reverse osmosis and deep-injection wells) for efficient and safe resource management.
• Upgrading municipal infrastructure to meet future demands and enhance sustainability.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

By enhancing its water treatment capabilities, Port St. Lucie reinforces its progress toward SDG 11, which aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The project ensures the provision of essential services and strengthens the city’s environmental management capacity.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

The project contributes to the protection of aquatic ecosystems, a core target of SDG 14. By disposing of mineral byproducts deep underground, the city actively prevents potential pollution of surface waters and the Floridan Aquifer, thereby conserving marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This is the most relevant SDG as the article focuses entirely on a water treatment facility, the provision of clean drinking water, and the management of byproducts from the water purification process. The construction of a new deep-injection well is a direct action related to water and sanitation infrastructure.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The article describes a major infrastructure project: the construction of a 130-foot-tall drill rig to build a new deep-injection well. This investment in new, redundant infrastructure enhances the resilience and reliability of the city’s water supply system.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The project is a municipal effort to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of Port St. Lucie. By investing in critical infrastructure for water treatment and waste management, the city is working to reduce its environmental impact and provide essential services to its residents.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

   The Prineville plant’s function, which “treats about 12 million gallons of drinking water per day,” directly contributes to providing the community with access to safe drinking water.

2. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials…

   The article explains that the deep-injection well is used to dispose of “mineral byproducts from the reverse-osmosis water-filtration process.” By drilling the well “3,350 feet, approximately 2,000 feet below the deepest drinking water wells,” the city is taking specific measures to prevent the pollution of drinking water sources, thereby improving overall water quality management.

3. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure…to support…human well-being.

   The article explicitly states that the new well is being installed “to add redundancy.” This action directly enhances the reliability and resilience of the water treatment infrastructure, ensuring that this essential service for human well-being is not interrupted in case the primary well fails.

4. Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to…municipal and other waste management.

   The deep-injection well is a specific waste management solution for the “2 million gallons containing concentrated mineral byproducts” generated each day. This project represents a focused effort by the city to manage industrial byproducts in a way that minimizes environmental harm.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Volume of safely treated drinking water

   The article states that “About 12 million gallons of drinking water per day is treated” at the plant. This figure serves as a direct indicator of the volume of safe drinking water being supplied to the population, relevant to Target 6.1.

2. Volume of industrial wastewater managed

   The article mentions that “an average of about 2 million gallons containing concentrated mineral byproducts” goes into the well each day. This quantifies the volume of industrial byproduct (wastewater) being managed, which is a key indicator for progress on Target 6.3 and Target 11.6.

3. Investment in resilient infrastructure

   The construction of a “second deep-injection well” for the purpose of “redundancy” is a qualitative and quantitative indicator of investment in resilient infrastructure (Target 9.1). The project’s completion date of “May 2026” provides a timeline for this infrastructure enhancement.

4. Depth and safety of waste disposal

   The specification that the new well will be drilled “3,350 feet, approximately 2,000 feet below the deepest drinking water wells” is a technical indicator of the safety measures being taken to prevent pollution and protect freshwater resources, relevant to Target 6.3.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: tcpalm.com