FPUA approves $1.86 million design addendum for phased wastewater conveyance to mainland plant

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority on May 7 approved a design addendum to continue work on a phased wastewater conveyance project that will move island flows to a new mainland treatment plant.

Director Javier Cisneros introduced Amendment No. 1 and turned the presentation over to Lugie Dawson, the authority’s water/wastewater supervisor and engineer, who told the board the addendum covers detailed design (30%–100% plans), permitting, surveying and project management. "The not-to-exceed cost of this addendum is $1,859,903 and includes a $15,000 contingency for geotechnical work and survey if needed," Dawson said.

Why it matters: the design addendum advances the first construction phase of a multi-phase strategy to redirect sanitary sewer flow off the island. Dawson and Cisneros said the design under consideration is intended to produce the startup flows needed for the new facility while allowing staff to test field conditions before completing later phases.

Key details and scope: staff told the board the existing island water reclamation facility sees average daily flows around 4 million gallons per day. Phase 1a is expected to deliver about 5.7 million gallons per day to the new plant; Phase 1b up to about 9.5 MGD; and the ultimate build-out was described during the presentation as roughly 30 MGD. Dawson estimated staff were planning for roughly 1.5% annual growth in demand. Construction costs for Phase 1a were presented as about $32,000,000; the $1.86 million figure under the addendum is design-only.

Limits and next steps: Dawson cautioned the board that Phase 1a alone would not allow decommissioning of the island plant because wet-weather flows still must be managed; the existing plant must remain available to handle storm events while future phases and I&I (inflow and infiltration) work proceed. Board members pressed for comparisons and confirmation that the work fits budgeted bond proceeds; staff said the design work is within anticipated budget and the design is being funded from bond money.

The vote and procedural note: a board member moved approval, the motion was seconded and the clerk recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor. Staff will return with subsequent contracting steps for construction after design milestones and further board approvals.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote; staff emphasized they will evaluate field results from Phase 1a before finalizing or advancing later phases.