Wastewater Master Plan and Plant Consolidation

  • Project typeConsolidation
  • Project schedule10 years from now
  • Contractor nameNone selected yet
City of Clearwater Wastewater plant-27.jpg

What is it?

Wastewater consolidation is the strategy of reducing the number of wastewater treatment plants (water reclamation facilities, or WRFs) by rerouting flows so that fewer, larger facilities treat the community’s wastewater. In Clearwater’s master planning, “consolidation” ranged from maintaining three separate WRFs (no consolidation) to fully diverting flow from two plants to one remaining plant (complete consolidation).

What it is (in practice) is a combination of (1) decommissioning one or more existing WRFs as treatment plants, (2) modifying the collection system so wastewater can be transferred to the remaining WRF(s), and (3) converting the decommissioned WRF sites into major pump/lift stations connected by new/expanded force mains to move flow. This includes reconfiguring how flow is routed through the system to reliably deliver wastewater to the remaining facility.

Why do we want to do it?

We are doing it to improve long-term reliability and resilience, reduce vulnerability to coastal hazards, and position the system for efficient investment over the planning horizon. The master plan notes that the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility is least likely to be impacted by climate variability, while sea-level rise and storm surge can significantly inundate the other coastal facilities. It also highlights that the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility site has room to expand and can reduce biosolids hauling because it already treats thickened sludge from the East WRF. City Council approved the full consolidation of the Marshall Street WRF and the East WRF to the Northeast WRF March 3, 2023, which then set the direction for planning and design around a single, primary treatment facility.
 
This document is the city of Clearwater’s Water Reclamation Facilities (WRF) Master Plan, prepared as a 30-year planning, capital improvement, and implementation roadmap for the city’s three water reclamation facilities. It is intended to identify near- and long-term renewal/replacement needs and define a phased path for upgrades and operational improvements, while supporting regulatory compliance and ensuring the facilities remain efficient, resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective over the planning horizon. 
 
It ties directly to wastewater consolidation because a central task of the Master Plan is a formal Water Reclamation Facility consolidation evaluation—screening dozens of ideas down to six buildable scenarios (ranging from “maintain three WRFs” to “all flow consolidated at the Northeast WRF” or a new regional plant). The plan then analyzes what consolidation would require and recommends proceeding with complete consolidation at the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility—a recommendation that was subsequently approved by city council.

Project Presentation

This topic was presented to the Clearwater City Council as item 8.1 on the agenda for Feb. 27, 2023, and was approved March 3, 2023.

Consolidation Master Plan Documents

WRF Master Plan Documents

Existing System Evaluation TM Exhibits

Project Sheets

Location

Clearwater Northeast Water Reclamation Facility,    View Map

Google Map

Contact details

Clearwater Public Utilities
(727) 562-4960

Other City Projects

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