Tampa, Florida — The Sligh Avenue water treatment plant in Tampa may not be on anyone's must-see list, but Larry Elliott of Corollo Engineers says it will appear soon. 

"I hope you will have tourists from all over the world, and of course all tourists from Florida," he said. 

They will come to see Tampa’s new way of treating the Hillsboro River, which is the city’s main source of drinking water. Officials said that the new technology will save money in the process.

"We now estimate that the annual net cost savings are approximately US$4 million," said Chuck Weber, director of water services in Tampa.

For several months, Tampa has been conducting pilot tests on a technology called SIX, which stands for suspended ion exchange. It uses small beads in suspended water to remove dissolved organic carbon naturally present in the Hillsborough River. 

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Its effect is better than expected. The last piece of the technical puzzle comes from the Netherlands, where they perfected a resin that can remove organic matter in the water.

Tampa's new six water plant is scheduled to be operational in 2026 or 2027 and will treat 149 million gallons of water per day. The city allocated 100 million U.S. dollars for the project. 

On Monday, the mayor and water department officials announced a new water treatment technology at the David Tippin water treatment facility.

More: Tampa's water treatment adopts European system for trial operation

"It's really exciting," Melanie Pickett said. "This is a big project, brand new technology, I learned a lot and put the pilot project together."

The 32-year-old Corollo Engineers employee studied how the Hillsboro River supplies urban drinking water for decades during his PhD. At the University of South Florida. 

Now, she will use new technology to remove organic carbon to help change the way she works. 

Before: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the taste and smell of Hillsboro tap water may be different

"And the water might taste better," Weber said. 

Tampa's new taste in technology will soon change the way water has been treated for decades. Officials said the new plant will not cause water bills to rise. 

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