Northwest Water Reclamation Facility Improvements

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The Northwest Water Reclamation Facility

Project Overview

The Northwest Water Reclamation Facility (NWWRF), located at 7500 26th Ave. N., provides essential wastewater and reclaimed water service for the Northwest Service Area and areas outside the city limits via interlocal agreements. The facility was originally constructed in 1957 and has been upgraded and expanded several times. It has a permitted capacity of 20 million gallons per day annual average daily flow.

The City is updating and upgrading the NWWRF with the NWWRF Improvements Project to enhance reliability, resiliency and sustainability. This project will replace aging assets, improve wastewater service and reliability, and mitigate wet weather overflows. Key components of the project include:

  • New influent pump station to replace aging infrastructure and maintain reliable wastewater/reclaimed water services
  • New coarse screening facility to remove large debris from wastewater influent and protect downstream pumps, gates and valves
  • Upgraded fine screens to improvement operations and reliability
  • New odor control system to minimize odors that could adversely affect facility staff and/or the surrounding community
  • Two new 7.5 million-gallon covered reject water storage tanks (200 feet wide and 50 feet high) to provide one day of storage volume for water that requires retreatment, as required by state statutes

The project will also update auxiliary processes, such as electrical gear and controls, to accommodate these additions and improve operability, safety and flexibility.

The project is currently being designed under a Construction Manager At-Risk delivery and will comply with the requirements of the St. Petersburg City Code Chapter 2 Article 5 Division 5, Sustainability and Resiliency of City Facilities, as it relates to Envision.

Since the City’s introductory community meeting on Aug. 11, 2020, the project team has incorporated several enhancements into the facility’s design, including reinforcing the new structures to withstand winds up to 154 mph, stormwater management and draining around the new reject storage tanks, site landscaping with trees and ground cover to improve facility aesthetics and blend with the surrounding community, enhanced site roads for fire department access, and removal of five obsolete structures.

Potential Public Impacts

Construction will occur primarily on the NWWRF site. Some minor work is required just outside the facility entrance on 26th Ave. N., but this work will be expedited and have minimal community impacts. Once construction begins, nearby residents and businesses may hear construction activity during weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Night work or Sunday work may be required for pipeline connections, start-up, and commissioning; residents will receive advance notice of any work that occurs outside of normal construction hours.

Residents may also notice construction traffic in the area. Construction traffic, including heavy equipment deliveries, will access the NWWRF site from 22nd Ave. N., through the former Science Center parking area. This access will improve safety near the Walter Fuller Recreation Center and avoid impacts to the Pinellas Trail.

Project Timeline

  • November 2021 – Contractor to Mobilize to Site
  • December 2021 – Construction Start
  • Fall 2025 – Construction Complete (Tentative)

Schedule is subject to change based on weather, permitting, or other unforeseen conditions.

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