Considered a precursor to the Water Reclamation Project, Miami-Dade County's High-Level Disinfection (HLD) Project, with a total value of approximately $600 million, will produce highly treated wastewater that will then go through the water reclamation process of microfiltration, reverse osmosis, the addition of hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet disinfection. It will increase the peak flow capacity of the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant by 27%, from 225 million gallons daily (mgd) to 285 mgd. This improvement will allow more wastewater to be pumped to the plant during rain events, reducing the potential of sewer overflows.

The HLD Project provides for all of the treated wastewater from the existing secondary treatment plant to be filtered and disinfected to ensure Miami-Dade County complies with all Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) requirements.

The project is being built to meet specific FDEP and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements for the high-level disinfection of wastewater prior to its disposal into deep injection wells.

The HLD Project provides additional benefits, going beyond the state and federal requirements to meet high level disinfection criteria:

• Miami-Dade County is constructing an on-site liquid chlorine production facility that will produce liquid chlorine from salt and electricity. The plant will produce all of the chlorine needed for both the existing secondary treatment process as well as the HLD process so no gas chlorine will be stored at the site once the HLD Project is completed.
• The peak flow capacity of the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant is being increased by 27%, from 225 million gallons daily (mgd) to 285 mgd. This improvement will allow more wastewater to be pumped to the plant during rain events reducing the potential of sewer overflows.
• The project has had a positive impact on the area's economy, providing daily jobs to more than 400 workers.
  

The HLD Project consists of 14 construction contracts , 12 of which are either complete or under construction. Some facts about the project:

• The design of the HLD Project is more than 97% complete, with only two contracts left to finish.
• Two years into the six-and-a-half-year project, the construction of the HLD Project is approximately 42% complete. The last two contracts are planned for bid and award by mid-2010.
• Project completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2014.
• The longest construction contracts are the Filter and Clarifier Contracts, both with durations exceeding five years. These contracts were awarded more than a year ago and are currently ahead of schedule.
• View photos of the project under construction.