New Smyrna Beach Utilities Breaks Ground On State-Of-The-Art Water Treatment Expansion

This largest application of advanced pellet softening technology in Florida will ensure sustainable, low-cost water for the community.

On Friday, New Smyrna Beach Utilities (NSBU) joined with city officials and project partners, PC Construction and Stantec, to officially break ground on the Glencoe Water Treatment Plant Pellet Softening Expansion. The project marks a historic milestone as the largest application of this advanced treatment technology in Florida.

The upgrades will improve reliability and capacity, reduce operating costs, and preserve Florida’s natural resources. By replacing aging 1970s-era lime softening reactor clarifiers with this modern system, NSBU will extend the life of the existing plant by at least 30 years and significantly delay the need for a costly reverse osmosis facility.

The project offers significant strategic benefits:

• Cost Efficiency: The new system utilizes 45% fewer chemicals and consumes 50% less energy than the current lime softening treatment process.
• Environmental Stewardship: The process eliminates lime sludge disposal and reduces byproduct waste by 80%.
• Increased Capacity: The upgrades will boost plant capacity to 8.7 million gallons per day (mgd), with provisions for future expansion up to 11.6 mgd to meet demand.
• Resource Preservation: By treating water from the Floridan Aquifer more efficiently, NSBU maintains its commitment to providing high-quality potable water without increasing withdrawal limits.

The progressive design-build team of PC Construction and Stantec are partnering with NSBU to complete the design and construction of the facility expansion. This project also included extensive pilot testing of the pellet softening system to ensure the new technology will best meet NSBU’s goals.

“New Smyrna Beach Utilities is excited to bring this industry-leading water softening project to our water treatment plant,” remarked Efren Chavez, NSBU General Manager/CEO. “We spent the better part of the past five years evaluating the technology and its benefits for our community. Not only will it be instrumental in providing a sustainable, high-quality water source for our customers for the foreseeable future, but it will also save significant money in our water rates for the long term through cost avoidance of building alternative water processing facilities now, such as a reverse osmosis treatment plant.”

"We are proud to partner with NSBU on this exciting project," said John Yesalonia, Construction Executive at PC Construction. "This facility is a shining example of how improving aging infrastructure can keep a growing community sustainable and vibrant. By incorporating state-of-the-art pellet softening technology, we’re not only reducing operating costs and enhancing environmental stewardship, but also ensuring that New Smyrna Beach Utilities continues to deliver safe, high-quality water to its residents for generations to come."

The expansion includes the new 8,500-square-foot pellet softening facility, administrative spaces, advanced electrical infrastructure, and improved site utilities. Completion is expected by late 2027.

About New Smyrna Beach Utilities
For over 50 years, the Utilities Commission, City of New Smyrna Beach, Florida (UCNSB) has proudly provided the greater New Smyrna Beach area with quality utility services. Today, UCNSB offers electric, water, wastewater, and reuse water services to approximately 30,000 residential and commercial customers.

About PC Construction
PC Construction offers general contracting, construction management, and design-build services to private and public clients across the country. The company manages projects along the east coast from its headquarters in Vermont and a network of locations in Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, and the Mid-Atlantic.

From specialized buildings to complex water and wastewater treatment plants, PC is ranked annually as one of the top contractors in the country. A construction industry leader for over 65 years, PC Construction is guided to success by its team of dedicated employee-owners.

About Stantec
Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world’s greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before. We are a global leader in sustainable architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting. ​Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more.

Today’s communities transcend geographic borders. At Stantec, community means everyone with an interest in the work that we do—from our project teams and industry colleagues to our clients and the people our work impacts. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure. We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.​