SANFORD, Fla. – The city of Sanford is set to move forward with a plan to fund a new water treatment plant designed to rid drinking water of dangerous chemicals.
At a meeting on Monday, commissioners will vote to approve a loan agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to build the “1,4 Dioxane Abatement Project.”
In 2023, reports by The Orlando Sentinel brought to light higher levels of a contaminant called 1,4-dioxane in the water in Seminole County, Lake Mary and Sanford. The Environmental Protection Agency said the compound is a likely carcinogen, used as a stabilizer in solvents and cleaners.
[READ MORE: What is 1,4-dioxane?]
The chemical has been linked to a former Siemens manufacturing site on Rinehart Road that closed in the early 2000s. The facility used to make telephone parts.
In 2024, officials in Sanford filed a lawsuit against the companies it believes are responsible for contaminating the city’s water, including Siemens, as well as General Dynamics Corporation and Moni Holdings, LLC.
When constructed, the water treatment plant would use an ultraviolet-light advanced oxidation process to remove dangerous substances from drinking water prior to distribution.
As part of the FDEP agreement, the state would provide $52,127,004 in funding with 100% loan forgiveness. There would be no repayment provisions, except that Sanford would be required to reimburse the FDEP from any award, settlement, judgment, or other relief obtained in its lawsuit.
Commissioners will vote on the funding agreement during a meeting on Monday at 7 p.m.
[WATCH: Seminole leaders say they will take action after toxic chemical found in drinking water]