Two major projects designed to supply and deliver more water to the region are progressing as expected.
South Hillsborough Pipeline
The South Hillsborough Pipeline will deliver up to 65 million gallons of water per day (mgd) to fast-growing southern Hillsborough County when complete.
Construction is active in 11 locations across the 26-mile route from Brandon to Lithia and Balm, using a combination of microtunneling, horizontal directional drilling and open-trench installation. Work is complete on four of the project’s 17 tunnel locations and is ongoing at five other tunnel locations.
Open-trench construction is progressing along the route. Near Kingswood Elementary School, two crews are working back-to-back shifts to pass the elementary school in early August. Crews are also working hard to pass Brandon High School before school starts.
With a project of this size, coordination with other agencies is important. To ensure other utilities are informed, the project team has regular meetings with utilities such as TECO, Florida Gas, Zayo, Spectrum and AT&T.
Coordination with businesses and the community is a priority. The project team is updating residents and businesses along the route through direct mail, email alerts, social media, homeowners association meetings and the project website. The project team is also coordinating with affected businesses and service providers to help maintain access and share detour information as traffic patterns change.
Overall, the South Hillsborough Pipeline remains on track. Construction is about 5% complete based on linear feet of pipe installed, and spending is aligned at approximately 20% of the total $478.4 million construction budget.
Surface Water Treatment Plant Expansion
The Surface Water Treatment Plant Expansion will increase water supply capacity by up to 12.5 million gallons per day by adding a fifth treatment process train and upgrading key systems.
Construction is underway across the facility, including utility relocations, installation of new piping, replacement of belt filter presses, and site preparation for new filters and chemical buildings.
Construction is 6% complete and spending is aligned at 17% of the $167 million construction budget.
The plant has successfully operated since 2002, cleaning water from the Alafia River, Hillsborough River and the Tampa Bypass Canal to drinking water standards. It was first expanded in 2011 and provides an average of up to 90 mgd and a maximum of 120 mgd of high-quality water to the region.
