By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Through May 1 Hillsborough County officials are seeking residents’ and business interests’ views on an upcoming project that addresses drinking water, wastewater and reclaimed water solutions for rapidly growing south Hillsborough County.
“The water in this area needs drastic improvement,” wrote one respondent, in an online post for the “South County Potable (Drinking) Water Transmission Main” project, as detailed on the Hillsborough County Engagement Hub. “Currently, the water pressure is almost non-existent, and it smells of sewage.”
“The water pressure here in south county is terrible,” wrote another respondent, noting specifically the Wimauma area. “The water pressure is weak at best. I am hoping that this project will improve the water pressure, not only in our community but for the surrounding area as well.”
Indeed, the south county project aims to ensure “reliable, resilient and sustainable” water service, and especially so in the county’s south central service area, where residents and businesses receive water from the Lithia Water Treatment Plant, at 5402 Lithia Pinecrest Road.
Established in 1988, and with multiple renovations since to keep up with demand, the Lithia plant is the largest water treatment plant owned by Hillsborough County. It distributes an average of 30.25 million gallons of water daily to more than 390,000 throughout the south and central parts of the county, according to a 2018 report. At that time, the plant had four water storage tanks on site, with each one able to hold five million gallons of treated water, reportedly about the same amount of water for 1,000 swimming pools.
“Due to growth in the south county area,” officials are “designing, permitting and constructing approximately 11.5 miles of a new 42-inch potable transmission main that will connect to the Lithia Water Treatment Plant’s existing 42-inch line west of Big Bend Road,” according to the county’s engagement hub posting.
Officials say the extension, from the intersection of Big Bend and Balm Riverview roads to the intersection of U.S. Highway 301 and State Road 647, will enhance service reliability and improve water pressure in the county’s south central service area. Stated benefits are to meet future water demands, provide system redundancy and resiliency, and to increase water pressure to homes and businesses.
Source: Hillsborough County
Segments set and considered for the South County Potable (Drinking) Water Transmission Main project set to begin in June and conclude in January 2024
Additional improvements necessary to construct and install the 42-inch drinking water transmission line, tie-ins, air release valves and other supporting work, include paving and roadway repair, curb and gutter repair and replacement, utility relocations, landscaping and fencing.
The project is set to be broken down into three segments, starting with the first along Balm Riverview Road from Big Bend Road to Balm Road. The second segment has not yet been finalized. The third segment is set to be along State Road 6764 from West Lake Drive to State Road 301. Segments one and three will start before segment two, for which alternatives are noted online and below.
Construction is slated to begin in June and conclude in January 2024. The project cost is $65 to $75 million and funding is through the Water Resources Capital Improvement Program, as approved by Hillsborough County commissioners.
As part of the county’s One County Water Campus initiative, the water transmission main project aims to “keep pace with current growth and ensure dependability [of] utility services in the future with a comprehensive drinking water, wastewater and reclaimed water solution.” The aim for south Hillsborough County is “to expand the water delivery system, create redundancy and increase water pressure for future growth.”
A default alignment for segment two would use existing public rights-of-way along Balm Riverview Road to Balm Wimauma Road, and along Balm Wimauma Road to State Road 674. A planned alternative, contingent on county officials’ securing a necessary easement, would run along Balm Road to an Astin Farms property, within that property from Balm Road to West Lake Drive, and West Lake Drive from that Astin Farms property to State Road 674.
For more, visit www.publicinput.com/hub/51 and scroll to click “South County Potable (Drinking) Water Transmission Line.”
