Some of the pumps that move reclaimed water at Pinellas County’s main wastewater treatment plant have been running for more than 30 years. County documents say they have reached the end of their useful lives and can no longer provide the water pressure the system requires. Pinellas County is now seeking state help to replace them.
County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to apply for a $15 million Resilient Florida grant for improvements at the South Cross Bayou Advanced Water Reclamation Facility in St. Petersburg. The county would provide another $15 million as a required match, putting $30 million toward the work covered by the grant application.
At the center of the project is the facility’s high-service pump station. In practical terms, the pumps provide the pressure needed to move reclaimed water after it has gone through the treatment process…