DELRAY BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Delray Beach is going to break ground on a new water treatment plant next month, and the city isn’t being shy about the scale.
The ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at the Delray Beach Water Treatment Plant, 434 S. Swinton Avenue. It’s a nearly $300 million build, the city calls it the largest infrastructure project in Delray’s history.
Same site, different plant.
The current water treatment facility has been serving the community for more than 60 years, according to the city. That’s a long run for something this critical. City officials say the new Membrane Water Treatment Plant will replace that aging infrastructure with modern technology meant to protect public health and keep up with a city that’s changed a lot since the original system came online.
The new plant is described as a state-of-the-art facility using advanced nanofiltration technology. The city says that process will significantly improve the quality of Delray Beach’s drinking water and help the system stay in compliance with federal drinking water regulations. Cleaner water, safer water, more reliable water — for residents and businesses — and the city ties it to long-term resilience and environmental stewardship.
In plain terms, they’re trying to get ahead of the next few decades instead of chasing problems year to year.
The city laid out what it wants out of the project: improved water-quality protections to meet evolving U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards; more system reliability and emergency preparedness, including upgraded backup power so operations can keep going during storms or outages; and overall infrastructure resilience that’s supposed to last for decades.
They put the cumulative value of the initiative at about $287 million.
City Manager Terrence R. Moore said the work is bigger than a construction milestone. “The provision of safe and reliable drinking water is among the most fundamental responsibilities of local government, and therefore this project represents far more than a construction milestone,” Moore said. He called the new water treatment plant a long-term investment in public health, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure resilience, and said it reflects the City Commission’s commitment to planning and stewardship.
Moore also said the modernization isn’t only about replacing old equipment. By expanding capacity to meet both current demand and future regulatory requirements, he said city leadership is positioning Delray Beach to serve residents and businesses with a reliable water system for decades.
Construction is being delivered through a progressive design-build approach with CDM Constructors, Inc., the city said, with the goal of maintaining cost certainty while pushing ahead on a complex, highly regulated utility project. The City Commission approved the next phase of construction in December 2025, allowing the project to move forward on schedule.
Funding is coming through two revenue bonds issued for water utility improvements. The city said no additional city funds beyond the approved bond proceeds are required, and the project does not rely on the city’s General Fund.
It’s a lot of money, but it’s also one of those things you don’t really get to put off.
People drive past Swinton every day and don’t think about what’s happening behind the fences. That’s fine. The whole point is you turn on the tap and don’t wonder about it.
