Development Growth Driving Need for Wastewater Treatment Expansion

BRADENTON – Manatee County's Southwest Water Reclamation Facility is on its way to receiving a revised general development plan to include upgrades and an eventual expansion in order to deal with population growth. The revisions moved through the planning commission on Thursday and now head to the BOCC at their August 2 meeting.

The initial upgrades will include the replacement of old equipment like headworks, which reduce pollutants from wastewater to a level that is considered safe be discharged into waterways. The revised general development plan will also include the means to increase capacity to deal with upcoming growth.

Around 14,000 units will be added to the facility's duties because of already approved planned developments, mostly at Aqua by the Bay and Lake Flores. Two 40,000+ gallon flow equalization tanks, a 10,500-gallon anoxic basin, two 18,000+ gallon aeration basins, a 3,200-square-foot recharge well building would be added, along with a storage area of around 1,500 square feet.