AQUELIA JOURNAL / ORLANDO · CENTRAL FLORIDA
How Orlando uses ozone in its water-treatment process.
OUC’s treatment description explains why the word ozone tells only part of the story. Source water, treatment stages and distribution each have a separate role.
Report year ·
Start with the source and the process
OUC’s 2024 report describes water drawn from the Lower Floridan Aquifer and treated at its plants. Within that process, ozone oxidizes hydrogen sulfide, a compound associated with taste and odor. The document presents ozone as one stage in a municipal system, not as the complete description of the water reaching every building.[1]
Ozone does not mean chlorine-free
OUC’s current explanation connects ozone use with reducing chlorine requirements; it does not describe a chlorine-free supply. This distinction is useful when comparing utility treatment with a household device. A technology name alone does not state its operating conditions, maintenance needs or performance against a particular substance.[2]
From a process description to a useful question
For a taste or odor concern, begin by identifying the property’s actual supplier and the relevant treatment information. Then describe when the issue occurs and which outlets are involved. An annual report gives context, while a specific assessment requires appropriate observations or testing. Avoid transferring a claim about OUC’s plant to an unrelated product.[1][2]
The key to reading it
Read treatment as a sequence of functions. Ozone explains one function; the full process and the correct local records provide the wider picture.
EVIDENCE YOU CAN CHECK
Sources and documents.
- 01
Orlando Utilities Commission
2024 Water Quality ReportReport year 2024 · ozone process and supply diagram, printed pages 2–5 · exact publication day not stated - 02
Orlando Utilities Commission
Water Services · How is the water processed?Official explanation of ozone, hydrogen sulfide and chlorine · accessed 2026-09-15
Sources consulted on September 15, 2026. Original writing and translation. Data is attributed to its publishers and does not establish the performance of Aquelia equipment.