Titusville begins emergency release of treated water into Indian River Lagoon

Titusville began a controlled release of treated reclaimed water into the Indian River Lagoon Monday morning after heavy overnight rainfall overwhelmed the city’s wastewater system, officials said.The release started around 6:30 a.m. Nov. 2 at the Osprey Water Reclamation Facility. City officials said it was necessary to prevent wastewater from backing up into homes, businesses and streets.Residents are being asked to limit nonessential water use, including laundry, dishwashers and long showers, until further notice.Rainfall pushes system to capacityFlows from the Osprey facility to the Blue Heron Water Reclamation Facility reached full capacity, according to the city.Utility staff exhausted available operational options for managing the additional flow before beginning the release, officials said.The water is entering the lagoon near the Osprey facility.City says released water is fully treatedThe city said the discharge is treated reclaimed water that completed the facility’s full tr