Tampa is taking a major step toward the future of drinking water treatment. During a recent press conference at the David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility, city officials announced plans to construct North America’s first Suspended Ion Exchange (SIX®) treatment facility—a project designed to improve water quality, reduce treatment costs, and help address emerging contaminants such as PFAS.
The announcement received widespread local media coverage, highlighting how the project will strengthen Tampa’s water system while introducing an innovative treatment technology that has been used only in a handful of facilities worldwide. Carollo’s Executive Vice President, Vinnie Hart, joined city leaders during the announcement to discuss why SIX® is uniquely suited to Tampa’s water supply.
Why Tampa Chose SIX® Technology
Unlike many treatment upgrades that focus on a single challenge, SIX®, developed by PWNT, addresses multiple water quality objectives simultaneously. By removing approximately 50% of naturally occurring organic matter and roughly 30% of PFAS before conventional treatment begins, the technology improves the performance of downstream treatment processes while helping utilities prepare for evolving drinking water regulations.
According to Vinnie, Tampa’s source water makes the technology especially effective.
“It’s really about the water quality, and the challenges associated with this water quality—not just the water quality itself, but its variability,” he explained. “What SIX® does is really dampens those peaks and valleys on treatment, makes the plant a lot easier to run, and everything downstream benefits from SIX®.”
Pilot testing also demonstrated that the process could significantly reduce chemical use, contributing to projected operational savings of approximately $2 million annually while avoiding more than $80 million in future facility improvement costs.
Setting a New Benchmark for Water Treatment
Once completed, the facility will become the first SIX® installation in North America and the largest in the world, capable of treating up to 140 million gallons of drinking water each day.
At the press conference, Vinnie emphasized that the project represents more than a local infrastructure investment.
“What we’re doing at Tippin is bigger than Tampa alone. It’s raising the bar on how modern water utilities can address emerging contaminants and existing challenges.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the upgraded facility scheduled to be operational in 2032.
Advancing the Future of Drinking Water
As utilities across North America evaluate strategies for managing PFAS and improving treatment efficiency, Tampa’s investment demonstrates how advanced technologies can address today’s water quality challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s regulatory landscape.
To learn more about the project and the recent announcement, explore the local news coverage from Fox 13 Tampa Bay, WTSP 10 Tampa Bay, the Business Observer, Smart Water Magazine, and the Tampa Bay Times.
