Titusville sends treated reclaimed water into the Indian River Lagoon as rain maxes out its wastewater system

The City of Titusville began a controlled release of treated reclaimed water into the Indian River Lagoon at about 6:30 a.m. Monday after heavy overnight rain pushed more water into its wastewater system than it can handle, according to a city notice. The water is coming from the Osprey Water Reclamation Facility and entering the lagoon near the plant. The city said flows from Osprey to its Blue Heron facility had reached full capacity and staff had run out of other options, so it started the release to keep wastewater from backing up into homes, businesses and streets.

The city said the released water is not raw sewage and has gone through the plant's full treatment process, including filtration and disinfection. Staff are watching flows around the clock, will stop the release as soon as conditions safely allow, and are notifying the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and doing the required water-quality sampling. The city has not said how much water has been released.

Titusville is asking residents to cut back on nonessential water use, such as laundry, dishwashers and long showers, until further notice, since less water down the drain means less flow into the system. Questions can go to Public Works Water Reclamation at 321-567-3891. The release comes as the National Weather Service has Titusville under a Flood Warning through noon Monday; see our flooding story for the latest. The Osprey plant was upgraded in recent years to remove more nitrogen and phosphorus from reclaimed water, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District. WFTV also reported the release.

Check titusville.com and the city's official social media for updates.