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Palm Bay begins Port Malabar force-main upgrade to reduce sewer overflows
Summary
An agency official for City of Palm Bay utilities said crews are replacing an aging asbestos-cement force main at Port Malabar with C900 and HDPE bore pipe to cut the risk of sewer overflows and protect Turkey Creek; the project covers about 7,000 linear feet and includes nearby AC water-line replacements.
An agency official with City of Palm Bay utilities said crews are replacing an aging asbestos-cement force main at Port Malabar as part of an FY26 infrastructure project aimed at reducing sewer overflows and protecting nearby Turkey Creek.
The official said the team is swapping the brittle, more-than-60-year-old AC pipe for stronger C900 pipe and HDPE bore pipe. "We're replacing this force main," the official said, adding that C900 offers much higher strength while HDPE can be installed by directional boring to avoid ripping up the surface.
The project covers roughly 7,000 linear feet of pipeline work, "on, give or take," and follows earlier upgrades that replaced about 1,400 feet of gravity sewer, the official said. After the sewer-side restoration is finished, crews will move to the north side of the street to replace a number of old AC water lines.
City staff framed the upgrade as a long-term investment. The official said many of the pipes being installed today have an expected lifespan of more than 100 years. The replacement work, the official added, is intended primarily to "reduce the environmental impact of breaks," limiting ground shifting and preventing sewer discharges.
The official emphasized the local environmental aim: each break of the old AC pipe produces a sewer overflow, and "that is our main goal is to keep anything out of the Turkey Creek," the official said.
No dates, contract amounts or construction timelines were specified in the on-site remarks. The official described materials and scope but did not provide a contractor name or expected completion date.
