Bradenton council approves procurement for temporary Lift Station 13, pledges faster timeline and community outreach

The Bradenton City Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to buy and install a temporary pump and piping to relieve a failing sewer structure known as Lift Station 13 and to start work while a permanent collection‑system redesign proceeds.

The procurement authorizes up to $355,000 (staff said they built contingencies so the total approval could approach $500,000) to purchase a packaged temporary lift station and associated piping so crews can pump wastewater away from an at‑risk concrete station that staff said is deteriorated and could fail into the Manatee River. Councilwoman Lisa Moore moved the procurement, saying: "I move to proceed with the procurement of the temporary lift station with the location to be determined by council at a future date." The motion passed unanimously.

City officials described the vote as the first step in a multi‑year program to remove several legacy lift stations from riverfront locations, redesign street drains and replace private rear‑yard laterals so wastewater flows to modern collection mains rather than into waterways. The council directed staff to continue vetting alternative sites for the temporary unit, to begin community meetings and to return with specific site recommendations and procurement updates while the longer Lift Station 3 and collection‑system designs proceed.

Why it matters: Lift Station 13 sits within an older neighborhood where homes drain directly toward the river; during heavy rain and high tides the station and surrounding manholes flood and the wastewater utility receives large volumes of stormwater and infiltration. That inflow and infiltration (I&I) increases flows at the treatment plant, raises operating cost and can force emergency discharges. City staff…