Residents urge Tamarac to prioritize new water treatment plant; cite old infrastructure and chemical concerns

During the public comment portion of the Sept. 23 hearing, Donna Rosenblum Pickens said Tamarac's existing water treatment plant is "more than 60 years old" and argued the city should prioritize a new facility to guard against storm vulnerability, mechanical deterioration and water-quality risks. "We recently experienced an ammonia leak that had to be treated with chlorine and weeks later, our water still had an odor," Pickens said, and she added the plant cannot remove certain long-lasting contaminants she described as "forever chemicals." She urged the commission to consider a dedicated revenue stream — a modest, phased monthly rate increase — to demonstrate to lenders the city could repay borrowing for a new plant.

Darcy Schiller, also speaking from Kings Point, pressed the commission to examine why past and current managers did not bring the water-project urgency to the commission sooner and said the commission has the authority to investigate management decisions. Schiller's remarks tied the technical and financial concerns Pickens raised to questions about administrative oversight.