City of Sarasota’s Lift Station 87 Project Earns ISI Envision Silver Award

SARASOTA, FL – McKim & Creed is proud to announce that the Lift Station 87 Project, designed for the City of Sarasota, earned an Envision Silver Award by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), highlighting our shared commitment to delivering sustainable, innovative infrastructure solutions that benefit both communities and the environment.

The Lift Station 87 Project successfully replaces the aging Lift Station 7, which had outlived its useful life. This state-of-the-art facility has been designed for resilience, ensuring it will serve the community well beyond typical lift station lifespans. With the new lift station managing one-third of Sarasota’s wastewater flow, it plays a crucial role in protecting both essential infrastructure and the surrounding ecosystem from hazardous sanitary sewer overflows. The positive impact on the water quality of Hudson Bayou and Sarasota Bay is a testament to the effectiveness of this project.

After an earlier attempt to replace Lift Station 7 did not succeed, the City of Sarasota engaged McKim & Creed in August 2013 to rethink and redesign the project with a focus on sustainability and community involvement. Our team worked closely with city officials and local stakeholders to develop a facility that not only meets operational needs but also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood.

Lift Station 87 boasts an average daily flow of 2.4 million gallons per day (MGD) and a firm capacity of 9.92 MGD, strategically located within a service area that includes three hurricane shelters and the Sarasota Memorial Hospital, both designed to withstand at least a Category 4 storm surge. This prioritization of resiliency ensures that the community is better protected in the face of unpredictable weather events compared to the previously vulnerable Lift Station 7.

The relocation of Lift Station 7 from a densely populated area to the city-owned Luke Wood Park has removed it from a FEMA Special Hazard Area and floodplain, significantly enhancing safety for the community. The project brought multiple additional benefits, including the rehabilitation of the historic Osprey Avenue Bridge, improvements to the roadway and drainage systems, extended reclaimed water services, increased water pressure for fire protection, and the transformation of the old lift station site into green public space.

“The project team we assembled for Lift Station 87 was uniquely qualified to deliver this innovative wastewater facility using cutting edge engineering technology and risk-based construction techniques,” said Robert Garland, P.E., ENV SP, Project Manager for Lift Station 87 at McKim & Creed. “The new lift station structure in Luke Wood Park is a source of pride for the community, as it mirrors the first Sarasota City Hall, and will protect the community and the environment for decades to come.”

Learn more about Lift Station 87 and the ISI Envision Silver Award.