A water treatment plant that once played a major role in restoring Tampa, Florida’s lakes and wetlands is undergoing a major expansion project, according to a news release.
Two Boston-based companies, contractor CDM Smith and water treatment company Veolia Water North America, recently began expanding the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plantaccording to a March 2 press release.
The $181 million project, which the two companies will work on through a public-private partnership with Tampa Bay Water, will eventually increase the plant’s treatment capacity to 12.5 million gallons per day.
The plant has helped reduce dependence on groundwater. Prior to the installation, groundwater served as the only regional source of drinking water. Now, groundwater extractions in the area have decreased by almost 50%allowing the surrounding environment to recover, according to Tampa Bay Water.
“We’re expanding key treatment processes at the plant to increase capacity while building on what’s already working,” said Mike Kuhn, director of capital management at Veolia. “Site preparation is underway and this next phase will bring those plans to life.”
The treatment plant upgrade will improve the existing facilities to produce additional drinking water without increasing the permitted withdrawals from the rivers. The solution would maximize the use of rain when available, according to the release.
Other key improvements include new piping and valves connecting on-site storage to the plant’s influent and expanding the clarification process that removes color and particulate matter. Influent refers to untreated wastewater entering a treatment facility.
Additional solutions include ozone treatment capability and biologically active filtration to remove organics. The teams will also expand secondary disinfection systems and waste processing capabilities, according to the release.
Water-related construction has been a bright spot for experienced contractors in the area recently. For example, Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada recently highlighted strong demand in the water marketboth in the US and internationally, during its latest fiscal first quarter earnings call. AECOM, together with a group of other contractorsalso identified potential opportunities in the water construction sector.
“This project represents the future of water supply for the region,” said Frank Terrasi, president of CDM Smith Construction. “We are focused on expanding the plant while keeping it running every day for the communities that depend on it.”
Construction will continue through 2028. The expansion will eventually meet the region’s drinking water demands through 2033, according to the release.
