Lift Station 87

Lift Station 7, which handles approximately one-third of the City of Sarasota’s wastewater flow (extreme wet weather flow 9.5 mgd), is at the end of its useful life and has a history of mechanical failures and overflows. To resolve the situation, the city is replacing the aged lift station with a new, state-of-the-art facility (Lift Station 87). Transfer of gravity flows from Lift Station 7 to Lift Station 87 requires microtunneling under an environmentally sensitive waterway, the Hudson Bayou, and beneath the historical Hudson Bayou Bridge, constructed in 1914. Extensive geotechnical, geophysical, and bathymetric surveys were performed to develop a design that would facilitate installation of a 6-foot diameter steel casing approximately 8 feet below the Bayou in an environmentally and fiscally sound manner.

Lift Station 87 is designed to withstand storm surges associated with a Category 3 hurricane. Critical equipment installed at an elevation of 26 feet allows the facility to immediately return to service after a storm event. Hardening of the facility to this level will enhance service reliability and improve protection of human health and the environment. McKim & Creed is also assisting the city with a proactive outreach program to obtain resident input during design of the facility and to minimize disruption to the community during construction. This includes a series of community outreach meetings to obtain community consensus on architectural and landscaping plans for the new facility, which is being constructed in a city park.