With a ribbon-cutting four years in the making, city officials celebrated the opening of a new $3.2 million water plant, built to meet the city’s growing supply needs.

The ribbon-cutting took place at the Myrtle Rogers Womble Northwest Water Plant next to Fire Station No. 5, off Jason Dwelley Parkway. The second water tank is prestressed concrete finished and has the capacity for 1 million gallons (MG).

The tank’s cost was funded partly by a $1.5 million grant that former U.S. Rep. Val Demings secured during her time in Congress, as well as city impact fees. The new tank joins an existing 1-million-gallon tank at the Northwest Plant, which was built in 1999.

“We are so excited for everybody, because this is a monumental occasion that we can dedicate a new water tank for Apopka with our growth and be able to supply the needs for our residents here in Apopka,” Mayor Bryan Nelson said at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Demings highlighted her collaboration with Nelson and city commissioners to address infrastructure needs, highlighting the tank’s capacity to serve the community for the next 20 years.

“This is an example of what can happen when we come together and work together and always put people first,” Demings said.

Nelson presented a four-year-old framed group photo of Demings with the large check that she secured from Washington D.C. The photo included Apopka city officials.

Until 2025, the city’s five water treatment plants – Grossenbacher, Sheeler Oaks, Northwest, Mount Plymouth Lakes and Plymouth Regional – provided a combined storage capacity of 4.75 MG, according to an email from Vladimir Simonovski, city public works director/city engineer, to The Apopka Chief.

Northwest’s second tank, coupled with the current upgrade of the Grossenbacher Water Plant on East Grossenbacher Drive, boosts the city’s total capacity by 6.25 MG, representing a 32% increase, Simonovski said. At Grossenbacher, the city expanded the Grossenbacher Plant from 1 MG – an expansion that was done in 1985 – to now 1.5 MG.

“These improvements strengthen the city’s ability to maintain reliable water service, meet growing demand, and ensure resilience during peak usage and emergency situations; therefore, providing long-term benefits for all residents and businesses in Apopka,” Simonovski wrote.

All five city water treatment facilities source water from the Floridan Aquifer, which spans 100,000 square miles in the southeast region and provides drinking water to more than 10 million in Florida and portions of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.