Verified Sustainability Achievements

Planning for Sustainable Communities – Long-term community health is dependent on reliable wastewater and reclaimed water services to preserve drinking water supplies for potable applications and to ensure that distributed water meets public health requirements. This project updates a facility that provides critical wastewater and reclaimed water services, ensuring regulatory compliance and continued safe operations. To develop this project, the project team considered a variety of sustainability factors, including protecting water resources and public health by improving the resiliency of these local wastewater and reclaimed water services, enhancing the quality of life for the neighboring residents, honoring the community by showcasing local art in the form of a storage tank mural, and working closely with project stakeholders to minimize any negative construction impacts.

Preserving Water Resources – Potable water conservation and the use of alternative water supplies is particularly important for the Tampa Bay region as it strives to accommodate population growth and protect natural systems. This project is specifically designed to improve the local watershed by protecting potable water supplies and the surrounding environment through upgrades that increase the reliability and resiliency of wastewater treatment and reclaimed water services. The project team assessed the project’s watershed context, prepared estimates of water usage and wastewater generation, and designed project features intended to safeguard local water resources. All water usage within the project boundary is reclaimed from influent wastewater treated for reuse, and this project introduces features to prevent wastewater spills into the environment, even under extreme conditions.

Assessing Climate Change Vulnerability – The City of St. Petersburg proactively assesses and addresses potential climate change impacts on both existing assets and future projects, and so risk and vulnerability assessments were conducted for this project. The project team incorporated the findings of these assessments into the project’s planning and design, including considerations for sea level rise, storm surge impacts, high wind, flooding, lightning, and more.

Using Recycled Materials – The project team inventoried all project materials by type, weight, volume, and cost – noting total quantities and the percent recycled and/or reused – and conservatively estimates that more than 50% of the project’s materials as measured by cost can be attributed to recycled and/or reused content. The most significant contributors to the use of recycled materials include sheet piling, rebar, and ductile iron pipe.

“The Envision Award is a respected milestone that reflects St. Pete’s dedication to integrating innovative solutions, prioritizing public health, and enhancing the city’s resilience against climate risks. This award sets a new benchmark for sustainable infrastructure in our community. St. Pete remains committed to building upon this progress and continuing to identify innovative ways to build a stronger, more sustainable, resilient future for all.”

– Maeven Rogers, Sustainability & Resilience Director, City of St. Petersburg

“The project team’s commitment to sustainability and collaboration is evidenced by the early and ongoing communication and decision-making that happened across project partners and stakeholders. The team thought creatively about how to not only improve the outcomes of this project, but also how best to leverage resource availabilities and needs across the City. The criticality of providing essential water and wastewater services in a manner that reflects environmental, economic, and community stewardship was a central theme of all discussions. I am so proud to be a part of this project team!”

– Stephanie Ishii, PhD, PE, Envision Lead, Hazen and Sawyer