Wastewater: What Is A Lift Station

During the recent King Tides and flooding incidents, our City experienced two sanitary sewer overflows. They are referred to as SSO’s. Years ago, systems handled both stormwater and sanitary sewer. With the implementation of stronger environmental regulatory laws, a great and responsive staff on board, this is no longer permitted in Florida. There are still some areas, like Hollywood, which have Septic tanks, but those are being phased out due to our water tables and Sea-Level Rise.

Our City has been connected to sanitary sewer since 1951. In 1966, the city agreed with Hollywood to treat our wastewater. By 1974, our wastewater treatment plant had been decommissioned, and all our wastewater was pumped into Hollywood.

This separate system comprises pipes connecting every property to larger-capacity pumps throughout the city. The main pipes are typically 16 inches in diameter. They are connected through what are called lift stations. The wastewater flows by gravity to the pumping station and is then pumped under pressure. This system has certainly aged. Our commission has established a robust rehabilitation program for all our water resources, including all Lift stations.

There are lift stations of various sizes throughout the city. For example, the Golden Isles area has three smaller lift stations that interconnect to Egret. On Diana Drive and the beach, there are also smaller stations. The southeast area connects to the Egret station, which is located adjacent to the Golden Isles Park and tennis facility.

This high-capacity station has been under construction. We fired the first contractor for lack of performance and now have another company, Southern Underground, working on the station. While the station is under construction, there are backup pumps and generators.

Due to the contractor's lack of performance, not only did one generator break down, but both generators broke down, causing a total backup of the sanitary sewer in the area. Our staff was instantly on hand first thing since Commissioner Mike Butler reported it. Eventually, our own staff was mobilized because the contractor's staff was delayed and did not have the necessary equipment to repair the temporary equipment.

Two days before this incident, we had a similar incident along the Atlantic Shores because Hollywood was in the process of replacing one of its lift stations. In this incident, they had regrettably put in a 6-inch bypass for a 16-inch main. This fact combined with the inundation of heavy storms and tides fully overwhelmed the system.

We are extremely fortunate in our city to have a wonderful team of well-experienced staff that work in Public Works. I was speaking with them during the incident and was impressed by their commitment. During the Hollywood incident, they were over-monitoring. The same with the failure: they were mobilized and brought in vac trucks to alleviate stress on the system.

Another issue has been getting FP&L into the city to hardwire the new locations. Many are completed and just simply waiting for this work to be done. This is why there are generators in many of the areas. Once these stations are completed, they will not only be equipped with generators but also elevated to address sea-level rise.

Next week, I will cover Potable Water and how we address long term planning and capacity issues. As always, I am available anytime for your questions, concerns, and ideas to make our City a better place on my Phone/Text at: (954) 632-5700. Or you can email me at: jcooper@cohb.org. Please visit me on my Facebook page at: MayorJoyCooperHB. Like! Follow! And share!