Potable Water

Automatic Meter Reading, also known as AMR, has been implemented by the City of Dunedin Water Division and Utility Billing Division. We are also in the process of implementing cellular reading services, known as EyeOnWater (EOW) to give direct access to your water consumption data and provide tools to help manage water usage. EyeOnWater delivers information regarding leak alerts and usage trends through email, text messages or through the mobile app. We are working diligently to upgrade everyone’s service. Please be patient as we implement this service.

Your AMR and cellular devices are being installed in your current potable and reclaimed meters boxes at no additional cost to you. You will continue to be billed for only that water which you use. Bills will not be estimated. If you have additional questions or need assistance with setting up your EyeOnWater account, please contact our office directly at 727-298-3024.

What are the benefits to Automatic Meter Reading (AMR)?

• Reduction in the meter reading time
• Easier identification of customer leaks (door tags are left if leaks are found)
• Ability to provide detailed Water Use Reports to customers
• Upgrades and replacements where done to your meter during the AMR installation process

Who should I call if I would like information about the Automated Meter Reading program?

You can call the Water Division at 727-298-3100 for additional AMR information.  For billing questions, please contact the Utility Billing Division at 727-298-3024.

Can Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) detect leaks in my plumbing system?

Through the AMR device, we will be alerted of any meter that runs continuously for 24 hours.  This may indicate a leak in your system, the meter reader will leave a door tag if this occurs.

How accurate is the Automated Meter Reading (AMR)?

These state of the art water meters have electronic digital registers, which verifies the meter reading before it is sent to the transmitting unit.  This reading is deemed more accurate than visually reading the meter.

How do I know you have my Automated Meter Reading (AMR) and not someone else's?

Each transmitter has a unique transmission code that allows us to distinquish individual customers.

Will the Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology interfere with electronic systems or devices in my home?

No, it will not interfere with electronic components in your home.

How does Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) work?

A tiny radio transmitter attached to your water meter sends radio signals of your metered water consumption.  A meter reader will drive by your home and the reading will be transmitted to a computer in the vehicle.  It will later be processed in the office of Utility Billing.  At most times, the radio transmitter is asleep, in low energy state.  As the meter reader drives by, the radio wakes up and transmits the signal.

In accordance with the US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Florida Administrative Code Section 62-550, the City of Dunedin has installed BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICES on the water service lines to protect the public water system. This notice is to advise you of a possible situation that you may experience.     

When a Backflow Prevention Device is NOT present, the public water mains provide a ”cushion” that absorbs pressure that occurs in a home’s plumbing system from thermal expansion. This water expansion is caused when water is heated in the hot water heater. The Backflow Prevention device is designed to stop water from back flowing into the City main. Therefore, the expanding water no longer has a place to go so it remains in the hot water heater and builds up pressure. In normal hot water heater operation the thermal expansion would cause the TEMPERATURE & PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE (TP) to release water when the pressure exceeds 100 lbs. per square inch (PSI). Discharge may occur indicating the mechanism working properly.  Discharge will occur in the immediate area surrounding your hot water heater if a discharge line does not extend from the pressure control/valve on your hot water heater through an outside wall. The following devices can be installed by a plumber to prevent this:

1. Ball cock relief valve – Watts governor 80 or equal
2. Temperature and pressure relief valve installed on an out side spigot, set at 90 P.S.I. – Watts model 530 or equal
3. Thermal expansion tank

If you have any questions or if your plumber has questions, please call Dan Chislock at the City of Dunedin Water Division (298-3100).

Water Cross-Connections

A "cross connection" as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, is any actual or potential connection between the public water supply and a source of contamination or pollution. More specifically, it is a physical link that allows potential backflow incidents; permanent or temporary piping arrangement which can allow your drinking water to be contaminated if a backflow condition occurs.

In the event of a backflow or backsiphonage event, such cross-connections constitute a hazard to the building occupants and can jeopardize the cleanliness and potability of the public water system.

Examples of Hazardous Cross-Connections

Cross-connections happen when a hose, pipe or a basin containing a substance other than drinking water is connected to a potable water distribution system. When this happens there is potential for backflow, or back siphonage.

Potentially hazardous cross-connections occurs every time someone:

• Uses a garden hose sprayer to apply insecticides or herbicides to their lawn.
• Places a hose in a bucket or pool.
• Uses their garden hose to clear a stoppage in their sewer line.

There are many other potentially hazardous cross-connection scenarios. Please review the links below for more information or call or email us directly if you have any questions regarding cross-connection and backflow conditions. 

What is Backsiphonage?

A backsiphonage condition can occur whenever there is a lowered pressure between the potable and non-potable supply piping. For instance, during the demands imposed by fire fighting operation, or in the event of a water main break, the City water pressure may suddenly drop to a pressure that is lower than that of the non-potable system. This results in a partial vacuum being drawn on the non-potable system, and siphons the pollutants or contaminants into the potable water system.

What is Backpressure?

A backpressure condition occurs whenever an elevated pressure exists between the potable and non-potable source. These pressures can be imposed by the installation of pumps, which increase pressures above the City water supply pressure, thereby forcing non-potable water in the opposite direction of normal flow into the potable water line. Boilers or other equipment, which heat water causing thermal expansion and resulting in pressures in excess of the incoming water pressure, also can force non-potable water into the potable water piping system.

What is a Cross Connection Control Program?

A cross-connection control program is an organized, legally implemented and structured program to eliminate and contain the hazards to municipal potable water supply. These programs have been implemented and are typically passed by state or local law, and enforced by the local water supplier, such as the City of Dunedin.

History of Fluoridation in the City of Dunedin

Dunedin's City Commission voted in 2011 to continue to flouridate its water.

The decision to fluoridate Dunedin water was made in 1989 during the design of our reverse osmosis water treatment plant.  A public hearing was held to discuss current science on the issue and to hear from Dunedin citizens. Testimony was received from representatives of the State of Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Florida Dental Association. Based on a preponderance of evidence, the decision was to move forward with fluoridation. The City subsequently received a federal grant for equipment and startup chemicals necessary to begin feeding fluoride into the water system when our plant came on line in 1992. In 2004, Pinellas County Utilities began adding fluoride to drinking water. Today, forty-two of the fifty largest cities in the U.S. have adopted fluoridation.

In addition to the testimony from the public hearing, Dunedin officials also considered the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control, US Environmental Protection Agency, American Medical Association, American Dental Association, US Surgeon General, Florida Health Department and the Pinellas County Health Department in deciding to fluoridate our public water supply. These organizations were (and continue to be) recognized as reputable entities in the field of public health and each supported fluoridation of public water supplies.

The American Dental Association endorses the fluoridation of community water supplies and the use of fluoride-containing products as safe and effective measures for preventing tooth decay. The US Public Health Service has established the optimal concentration for fluoride in water supplies in a range of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (ppm). The USEPA drinking water standard maximum contamination level is 4.0 ppm. Fluoride levels naturally occurring in water pumped from the Floridan aquifer to the City of Dunedin's R.O. water treatment plant is 0.2 ppm. Fluoride is added to the drinking water during the water treatment process. The average amount of fluoride in drinking for the City of Dunedin is 0.71 ppm.

Unregulated Contaminants Reports

During 2018, the City of Dunedin’s drinking water was sampled for a series of unregulated contaminants. Unregulated contaminants are those that do not yet have a drinking water standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of monitoring for these contaminants is to assist the EPA in determining which contaminants should have a standard. Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Results (UCMR4) sampling requirements for Dunedin's, large ground water system consisted of Assessment Monitoring for a total of 30 chemical contaminants including: two metals, eight pesticides, one pesticide manufacturing byproduct, three alcohols, and three semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOC'S). UCMR4 also requires Assessment Monitoring for three brominated haloacetic acid (HAA) disinfection byproducts groups, and the indicators total organic carbon (TOC) and bromide. As our customers, we provide notification to you of the availability of these sampling results and data, for your review, should you so choose.

The sampling schedule for Dunedin was March 2018 and September 2018. You can review the sample results by visiting the following links:

• UCMR4 Sample Event 1 Results(PDF, 699KB)
• UCMR4 Sample Event 2 Results(PDF, 786KB)
• UCMR4 Fact Sheet