Council approves US‑41 reservoir pump station contract to boost dry‑season water storage

The City Council approved Resolution 3 34‑25 on Nov. 19 to award a construction contract for the US‑41 reservoir pump station and transmission main. Jeff Pearson, utilities director, presented the project and told council the city purchased the Northeast Reservoir earlier this year and worked with state and regional partners on permitting and design.

Pearson described the site as roughly 1,202 acres with some 570 acres mined and used as a freshwater reservoir capable of holding about 1.5 billion gallons of stormwater. He said the project has multiple environmental benefits — helping drain and restore Florida flatwoods habitats, augmenting water for dryer areas and increasing freshwater canal storage during the dry season. “This project essentially doubles the amount of dry season water storage in our freshwater canal system,” Pearson said.

Staff presented a funding history showing state earmarks and grants totaling more than $13.6 million to date and reported the low bid for the pump station and transmission work at $29,899,104. With soft costs and a 1% contingency, the recommended contract award totaled approximately $30,198,095. Council members asked about bid review and the contractor’s qualifications; procurement and engineering staff said they had evaluated bids for responsiveness and responsibility and reviewed references.

Council approved the award on roll call after questions about CEI costs and bid evaluation. Pearson said the work will be completed over roughly 545 days and that additional permitting and interagency coordination will continue for possible phase‑2 reservoir enhancements.