A sneak peek at Lake Alfred’s second Water Plant Set to Open Spring 2027 After Four Boil Water Notices This Year
Many Polk County residents have spoken up about growth and the lack of infrastructure to support it when it comes to water and power. Fort Meade commissioners approved the Stonebridge data center project in April 2026, a vote The Citrus Tea News later found had no approved public record, while facing an estimated price tag of $40 million in water and wastewater replacement costs they say they need just to meet current demands.
Meanwhile, one city is already on track to open a brand new water plant in early spring 2027: a facility the city’s project manager John Deaton says has the capacity to meet current and future growth demands, giving Lake Alfred system redundancy, or a second source that can hold pressure across town when the other plant needs to go offline.
Before going on a tour to see the new plant, The Citrus Tea News sat down with Deaton to talk about growth, water pressure, boil water notices, and how the city plans to address the concerns residents are raising after multiple water events across the city.
Deaton left full-time retirement earlier this year to work part-time and oversee the construction of the new plant as the city’s project manager, after close to 30 years in public works, 24 of those years spent in Lake Alfred.
He explained that isolation valves are being replaced and also added in key areas across the city, including the area where a break caused the citywide shutdown earlier this month, a measure both he and Brenn Hines, assistant city manager for Lake Alfred, say will help prevent shutting down the entire system.
Crews have already dug two wells, one that is almost 700 feet deep in the ground, and they are currently working on office and storage buildings, electrical lines, security fencing, connections to the pumps, and more.
Once construction is finished, they will need clearance from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the county health department before sending water into the system to residents and businesses. It will be the city’s first backup to a plant originally built in the 1940s.
(above) The City of Lake Alfred shows the area where the line broke, leading to the citywide boil water notice on Sept. 11, 2026, via their Facebook page.
Citywide Water Shutdown and An Extended Boil Water Notice
Earlier this month, city crews were replacing an inoperable fire hydrant at the intersection of Lake Swoope Drive and East Tangerine Avenue when a six-inch gate valve blew off the line. Deaton says these events can be dangerous for workers, but was glad to report that the city follows safety protocols and no one was injured.
They closed six main line valves trying to isolate the break, but none of them stopped the water. With no other option, the city shut down its single treatment plant, and a precautionary boil water notice was issued to every Lake Alfred water customer from the evening of Sept. 11 until it was lifted four days later.
Deaton said elevation explains why a single break hit the whole system so hard. The existing plant sits on high ground, and the land drops 8 to 10 feet or more toward lower parts of the city. As the broken main poured water downhill, the plant’s three pumps kept running, but they were pulling water away from the outer edges of the system.
The city held positive pressure through the initial break even though water ran low at the tap. Pressure was lost only when the plant was shut down completely. Positive pressure is what keeps contaminants out of the lines, and losing that pressure is what triggers a precautionary boil water notice with two consecutive days of bacteriological sampling before it can be lifted.
What A Second Plant Will Do
Asked whether the whole city would still have lost water on Sept. 11 if the new plant had been running, Deaton said, “Unfortunately, yes.”
A second plant would have fed water back into the lower areas while the line was still leaking, he said, and many residents might not have noticed the break at all. The repair itself still would have required turning the water off, because the break could not be isolated.
Isolation Valves On The Master Plan
The city said it is conducting a citywide valve replacement plan and an amendment to its Water Facilities Master Plan to identify and plan for repair and replacement of aging isolation valves and needed utility line upgrades. It has not said publicly how many valves are being added.
“I can shut a block down, or a section. Not the entire city,” Deaton said. The valve work will take a few months. “It doesn’t get fixed overnight,” he said.
A New Water Plant 25 Years In The Making
Deaton came to Lake Alfred in 2001 as utilities superintendent. He became utilities director about three years later and took over both public works and utilities when the departments were combined about 15 years ago.
Deaton has wanted a second water plant since the year he came to Lake Alfred in 2001. He credits City Manager Ryan Leavengood with pushing it forward, though Hines says along with Leavengood, the entire commission has been fully supportive of the plan.
In the months prior to Deaton’s Jan. 2025 retirement, the commission called for a resolution naming the plant for him. Earlier this year, he came back to the city part-time as a project manager, overseeing construction on the site of the plant that carries his name.
“I love this town. I live in town. I care about what happens in this town,” he said. “Naming it after me doesn’t matter to me that much, but I think about my grandkids driving by 50 years from now, and that’s something that will matter a lot to them.”
The Citrus Tea News asked Deaton about a project he was proud that residents have never noticed. He recalled a change in the sludge removal process at the wastewater plant that continues to save the city thousands of dollars per year.
What will people see at the tap once the new plant is running? Deaton had a one-word answer:
“Nothing. That’s the point.”
He also said some outlying areas may see higher pressure, and pressure should stop dropping on heavy use days. Several fixes are already in place for current water customers. The existing plant has new high-service pumps with variable frequency drives drawing from a 500,000-gallon ground storage tank, and new distribution lines were installed north of town along County Road 557, where Deaton said complaints have dropped significantly over the last two years.
The new plant sits on 3.69 acres the city bought in 2022 in the northern part of town. It has a storage tank that holds 750,000 gallons of water. The city drilled two wells on the site and is building a mini booster station to take in an alternate water supply. The city’s existing water tower holds 65,000 gallons.
The Cost
The city commission awarded the construction contract to Poole and Kent Company of Florida on Feb. 17, 2025, for just over $16 million. Three sealed bids were opened on Jan. 30, 2025, and they broke ground on Oct. 10, 2025.
The project is financed through a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan of $17,444,680 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, covering construction, contingency, and technical services. Sixty percent of it, $10,560,753, is principal forgiveness. The commission authorized the loan agreement as Resolution 12-25 on June 16, 2025. When the city applied in June 2024, its engineering consultant expected forgiveness of up to 50 percent, so the final terms came in better than projected.
City records say the remaining balance will be repaid with water connection fees, which developers pay when a new project ties into the utility system and which are eligible for growth-related projects. Deaton said the unforgiven balance is repaid over several years at a low rate he estimated around 2 percent.
On whether residents will pay for it: “It doesn’t change the water bill.” Water bills cover distribution and treatment. The city also said it completed a comprehensive study in 2022 and raised water and wastewater connection fees.
Four Notices Since January
Lake Alfred has issued four precautionary boil water notices since Jan. 1, two of them within five days of each other this month.
On July 17, lightning struck the water plant and caused an electrical component and pump failure that shut it down. The city called it an extremely rare event and said the plant was running again in about 20 minutes. That citywide notice ended July 19. The city is now getting quotes for lightning protection at the plant.
On July 31, a water main broke near West Pierce Street, affecting about 15 homes. That notice ended Aug. 2.
The Sept. 11 notice was labeled 48 hours and ran four days. Eight samples were required after the repair. Seven passed, and one did not; a single failure restarts the testing sequence. Utility Superintendent Lee Adams said a failed sample does not by itself mean contaminated water reached homes, and pointed to contaminants at the sample point, a problem at the lab, or mishandling of the sample as possible causes. Every sample passed on the second round.
The fourth came the next day. On Sept. 16, a vehicle struck a fire hydrant on West Pierce Street, the same street as the July break. About 15 homes were affected, and the notice ended Sept. 18.
Your community. Your news. Your right to know. The Citrus Tea News.
Your community. Your news. Your right to know. Follow The Citrus Tea News for more across Polk County, or subscribe to our free e-Weekly newsletter at the link in our bio.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Lake Alfred’s new water plant open?
The John Deaton Water Plant is on schedule for early spring 2027. Construction is still underway, and the plant will need clearance from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the county health department before it can go into service.
Would the new water plant have prevented the September citywide shutdown?
No. John Deaton said the city still would have had to shut off the water because the break could not be isolated, though the second plant would have kept pressure up in lower areas while crews worked.
Will the new water plant raise Lake Alfred water bills?
Deaton said it does not change the water bill. The plant is financed through a $17,444,680 state loan with $10,560,753 in principal forgiveness, and city records say the remaining balance is repaid with water connection fees paid by new development.
Why did the whole city lose water instead of one street?
Crews closed six main line valves, and none could isolate the break at Lake Swoope Drive and East Tangerine Avenue. With no way to stop the water, the city shut down its only treatment plant.
What will residents notice once the plant opens?
Deaton’s answer was “Nothing. That’s the point.” Some outlying areas may see higher pressure, and pressure should stop dropping on heavy use days.
Sources: Interview with John Deaton, project manager, City of Lake Alfred, September 22, 2026; Interview with Brenn Hines, assistant city manager, City of Lake Alfred, September 2026; Brenn Hines, City of Lake Alfred, written response to The Citrus Tea News, September 24, 2026; “BREAKING: No Approved Public Record Exists for Fort Meade’s $2.6 Billion Data Center Vote, Minutes Never Submitted for Approval,” The Citrus Tea News, thecitrustea.com, July 17, 2026; “Fort Meade’s Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Faces Critical Failures, with an estimated price tag of $40M,” The Citrus Tea News, thecitrustea.com, June 10, 2026; Precautionary Boil Water Notice Extended, City of Lake Alfred, facebook.com, September 2026; Boil Water Notice Update Video, City of Lake Alfred, facebook.com, September 14, 2026; AlertPolk precautionary boil water notice messages, Polk County Government, September 11, 13 and 15, 2026; City of Lake Alfred City Commission Minutes, mylakealfred.com, February 17, 2025; City of Lake Alfred City Commission Minutes, mylakealfred.com, June 16, 2025; City of Lake Alfred City Commission Minutes, mylakealfred.com, June 17, 2024; City of Lake Alfred City Commission Minutes, mylakealfred.com, October 6, 2025; City of Lake Alfred Planning and Zoning Board Minutes, mylakealfred.com, January 29, 2025
