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Bradenton updates wastewater response: Woodard & Curran operating plant; city outlines multi‑year repairs and temporary lift‑station plans
Summary
City officials told the council that Woodard & Curran began plant operations in May and are implementing short‑term fixes while the city develops a multi‑year plan to fix collection and treatment failures, including temporary lift‑station measures and a multi‑year capital program.
City officials and Woodard & Curran representatives briefed the Bradenton City Council Sept. 10 on the city’s “face it and fix it” wastewater program, describing immediate staffing and operational steps and a multi‑year timetable for collection‑system and treatment plant upgrades.
Rob Perry, the city administrator, and Allison Watson, chief executive officer of Woodard & Curran, said the firm has operated the wastewater treatment facility since May and has deployed engineering, operations and fiscal‑solutions teams to stabilize the plant, recruit certified operators, and seek grant funding.
Officials told the council the wastewater reclamation plant’s average permitted capacity is about 9 million gallons per day (mgd) but that recent wet‑weather peaks exceeded that level—sometimes reaching roughly 14–15 mgd—creating overcapacity conditions that strain pumps, hydraulics and electrical systems. City staff described structural and collection‑system challenges that lengthen timelines: defective laterals in older homes, infiltration and inflow in aging gravity mains, lift‑station failures and permitting lead times for major construction work.
Perry and staff estimated that planning and preliminary engineering for major collection upgrades can take months (six months or more for 30% design), with construction and permitting often extending projects multiple years; they said a comprehensive, multi‑phased program to address collection, transfer and treatment could span “10 to 12 years” for full resolution but that interim fixes are under way.
Council members pressed staff about specifics for Lift Station 13 and Lift Station 3. Staff said crews have added temporary pumps and bypass capacity to maintain service; the city plans design and procurement for permanent upgrades and has applied for grants and other funding. Officials said a temporary lift‑station solution may be installed as an interim bypass during construction and noted many temporary systems are built so they can be moved and reused at other sites.
Council members asked for better public communication; several members recommended a community meeting and a regularly updated project list so neighbors can see progress on lift‑station repairs and related work. Officials agreed and said they would schedule further community briefings and publish project timelines.
Several council members and the mayor urged patience with permitting timelines and emphasized the city’s recent moves: hiring a new utilities deputy, contracting Woodard & Curran for operations, and pursuing grants for wastewater collection retrofits. Perry said staff are also seeking regulatory agility from state agencies where possible (for example, shorter permitting timelines) to accelerate critical upgrades.
The council did not take any regulatory action at the meeting; staff said they will return with procurement steps, grant results and construction schedules as they are finalized.
