The Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is the drought-proof component of Tampa Bay Water’s diverse, interconnected system. Seawater coming into the plant goes through a rigorous pretreatment process, then freshwater is separated from the seawater using reverse osmosis. The end product is high-quality drinking water for the Tampa Bay region.
This project improves the desal plant’s reliability and longevity by replacing the reverse osmosis (RO) racks, pressure vessels, and associated trench supports. The racks hold the pressure vessels that house the RO membranes. The original racks were made of galvanized steel and have experienced corrosion from sea air. The replacement racks are made of stainless steel, which is corrosion resistant. The pressure vessels have reached the end of their useful lives and are being replaced. Valves, meters and other viable equipment, including RO membranes, will be reused as much as possible.
The desalination facility will remain non-operational while the work is completed. The plant will begin delivering 12 million gallons of water per day (mgd) after 3 racks are installed and 16 mgd when all racks have been replaced.
The new racks and pressure vessels have a useful life of 25 years.
Total cost for design and construction is $15.6 million.
The Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is located in Apollo Beach at the TECO Big Bend Power Plant.
Construction began in late January 2024. Replacement for the first set of racks will be complete by October, with all racks being replaced by December 2024/January 2025.
This project has no public impact as all work is contained within Tampa Bay Water property.
