By LINDA CHION KENNEY
With expected impacts for motorists, residents, tenants and property and business owners, Hillsborough County officials seek another round of community input concerning the $671 million wastewater project set for construction next year through late 2028.
In addition to a public meeting scheduled for Dec. 4, the period for virtual public engagement is set to run through Dec. 11 for the One Water South Wastewater Conveyance and Treatment Project.
Until fully designed, map illustrates conceptual One Water pipeline routes.
Details and educational materials for the project, including maps, photo renderings, survey questions and a video overview, are online at the county’s public engagement hub at www.publicinput.com/hub/1175/.
Approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and funded through the county’s Water Resources Capital Improvement Program, the One Water project involves design and construction of three major components, including the upcoming One Water Campus Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, for which a virtual engagement opportunity was held in August 2022.
The aim is to meet the region’s wastewater needs through 2050, with space allocated for future expansion and to produce reclaimed water for beneficial use in the region.
The treatment facility is set for a 200-acre site on the north side of County Road 672 (Balm-Picnic Road), near the Southeast County Landfill in Lithia, at 15960 County Road 672.
The $671 million project includes as well three, large-diameter pipelines to convey wastewater. One would move wastewater from a connection point near U.S. Highway 301 to the new wastewater treatment facility.
Another would transfer reclaimed water from the new wastewater facility to the county’s reclaimed water service area at Waterset, just west of Interstate 75, along portions of Paseo Al Mar Boulevard and County Road 672.
And the third would transfer wastewater from a connection point near Big Bend Road to the third component of the construction project, the Balm Road Super Pump Station. On the north side of Balm Road, west of Balm Riverview Road, the proposed station is set for a four-acre site surrounded by a large conservation area.
This week’s in-person open house was to focus on the use of pipelines to collect and pump wastewater from the existing system to the proposed wastewater treatment facility off Balm-Picnic Road, approximately 5 miles to the east. The area reportedly has few residential neighbors, with the surrounding county-owned land providing a natural buffer from adjacent properties.
Hillsborough County Engagement and Education Hub photo for the One Water – South Wastewater Conveyance and Treatment Project posting
According to county officials, several pipeline routes are under consideration, for which easements from property owners will be needed to reduce roadway and community impacts. Reportedly, both temporary and permanent construction and utility easement acquisitions would be on a voluntary basis.
Congested traffic is expected with roadway construction, thanks to temporary lane closures, detours and reduced speeds in construction zones, and travel reduced to one lane in either direction. According to officials, construction will take place during daylight hours Monday through Friday, with occasional nighttime and weekend work to minimize traffic disruption.
Upon completion, the high-capacity pump station, on the north side of Balm Road, west of Balm-Riverview Road, is designed to convey wastewater from the connection point near U.S. Highway 301 to the One Water Campus Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Hillsborough CountyPhotos
County graphic shows traffic management with One Water pipeline installation.
The pump station project is set to include two wet wells; connecting pipelines and valves; and a generator, fuel tank, ground storage tank, electrical building and other ancillary equipment. Also on tap are a “robust” odor control system, fencing and natural landscape buffers.
According to a project video, the pump station is designed to handle up to 56 million gallons of wastewater per day as it pumps wastewater from residents and businesses in the existing service area to the new wastewater facility. Wastewater will not be treated at the pump station.
The One Water Project is a component of the Hillsborough County Water Resources Department’s One Water Program. The large-scale infrastructure initiative is designed to address short- and long-term water and wastewater needs in south and central Hillsborough County.
For more information, call Lizeth Mora, project manager, at 813-209-3089 or email MoraLi@HCFL.gov/.