Tampa claims world title for innovative water treatment system
- Mark Parker
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Tampa is proactively and decisively addressing what Mayor Jane Castor believes will soon become a pervasive global health issue, particularly within disadvantaged communities - a lack of clean drinking water.
Plans to build the world’s largest Suspended Ion Exchange (SIX) water treatment system are now in the design phase. The innovative technology enhances water quality while slashing operational costs for taxpayers by nearly $2 million annually, and the David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility (DLTWTF) will house the nation’s first full-scale operation.
SIX systems provide a safe, cost-effective way to remove organic compounds and “forever chemicals,” or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which do not degrade naturally and pose significant health and environmental risks. Tampa’s primary water source is the pollution-challenged Hillsborough River.
“When it comes to PFAS, we as water providers are passive receivers,” said Sarah Burns, water planning manager. “We didn’t generate it, we didn’t create it. But now it’s a problem that we have to spend money fixing for the public good.”
Tampa completed a 10-month SIX system pilot study in 2021. The technology, which originated in the Netherlands, offers an alternative to traditional methods for removing organic matter from surface water.
Decomposed vegetation typically produces naturally occurring organic material that affects water color and taste but is generally not harmful. However, current chemical disinfection processes can create toxic byproducts, and prolonged exposure to those increases health risks.
Burns said the SIX system increases organic removal by 40% and decreases the need for chemical disinfectants, including sulfuric acid, by 60% to 80%.
The DLTWTF currently produces an average of 80 million gallons of high-quality drinking water daily for over 733,000 residents. That number will increase threefold, to 140 million gallons, once officials complete the approximately $200 million project.
“There’s about $80 million in capital cost savings that we would have to do to the rest of the plant, that we no longer have to do with SIX in place,” Burns said. “It’s a very sustainable process.”
Forever Chemicals
The city also realized that further reducing the presence of organic materials improved the efficacy of subsequent forever-chemical treatments. PFAS earned the nickname due to the uncanny ability to persist in the environment and human body for decades or even centuries.
Manufacturers began using forever chemicals, which resist heat, water, oil, and stains, in the 1940s. Common sources include non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, waterproof clothing, food packaging, industrial waste, and pollution caused by stormwater runoff.
Studies have shown that underserved communities, including people of color and low-income households, are disproportionately affected by PFAS. For example, a 2021 report found that 69% of state-identified disadvantaged neighborhoods in California have forever-chemical contamination in their water systems.
Experts note that industrial plants, landfills, and military sites that use PFAS-containing firefighting foams are often located near low-income areas and communities of color. Private wells can lead to exposure, and storm runoff can carry forever-chemicals into municipal drinking water sources.
PFAS accumulate in the body and cause a wide range of health issues, including increased cancer risk (kidney, testicular), thyroid disease, immune system damage, high cholesterol, decreased fertility, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and childhood developmental delays. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented the first PFAS regulations in 2024 and continues urging Congress to adopt more stringent legislation.
Burns said the city “couldn’t see whether or not we were removing PFAS” during the initial pilot project that ended in 2021. However, officials did realize that downstream filters could eliminate some forever-chemicals, “if there are not too many organics in the way.”
A second pilot concluded in December 2025, and they “also found that because of the way this ion exchange process works, we’re removing 30% of PFAS directly, through that process alone,” Burns explained.
“So, that was great news,” she added. “We’ve been pretty thrilled with everything we found through this technology. Utilities don’t like new things; it can be hard to get a utility to do that, so I’m pretty impressed that the city made that decision.”
Burns noted that no amount of forever-chemicals is safe. She, like Castor, believes Tampa has a head start in the race to mitigate PFAS, with cities like Miami facing an “uphill battle.”
“With our small amount, we’re looking good with our Suspended Ion Exchange process,” Burns said. “But other utilities need to do a lot more, and even just find source water.”
The city council approved the groundbreaking project in late March. Officials could have spent $280 million on upgrades to the DLTWTF without the SIX system, which should be fully operational by 2031, Burns said.
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