To keep out hurricane storm surge, a nine-foot-tall, 500-foot-long AquaFence flood barrier system has been placed around Lift Station 85, near Albert Whitted Airport on the St. Petersburg bayfront.
The lift station collects wastewater and pumps it to the Southwest Sewer Treatment Plant. According to the City of St. Petersburg, the station “serves almost a quarter of the city, including hospitals, assisted living facilities, hurricane shelters and the City’s Emergency Operations Center.”
The installation is part of the St. Pete Agile Resilience (SPAR) plan.
Based in Norway, AquaFence gained national recognition for its role in protecting Tampa General Hospital during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The success of the system was a key factor in bringing it to St. Pete, the City’s Claude Tankersley told the Catalyst.
“When we were able to see this in action there, that gave us confidence that this is something that could work for us,” explained Tankersley, City of St. Petersburg Public Works Administrator.
The AquaFence system features panels that are “made from marine-grade laminate, stainless steel, aluminum and reinforced PVC canvas,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
During Hurricane Helene, the facility took in about a foot of water, Tankersley said. However, the site was able to continue to operate.
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The facility is about six feet above ground, he added. Hurricane Milton, which was not as severe as expected, was anticipated to have 13 to 15 feet of storm surge.
Still, this showed the Public Works team the potential of future storms. “We knew we had to do something to protect it.”
Lift Station 85’s importance led the City to invest in an AquaFence system. The project cost approximately $700,000.
Planning for the AquaFence began late last year, he explained. The City Council approved the project in February and sections of the system, which were constructed in Europe, began to arrive in St. Pete by late May or early June, he added.
Once everything arrived, the City team was able to start putting the AquaFence system together around the lift station property. Tankersley said that this was a lengthy process.
Tampa General Hospital helped the City during the installation, he added.
“The challenge is that just like with anything you construct, the first time you do it, you make mistakes. It takes a long time,” he explained. “We wanted to have several months to get through that process.”
About 75% of the panels are up, Tankersley said.
As to whether more AquaFences would be installed at city facilities, it would depend on the property, he added.
“We’re looking at it. We don’t know whether we can or not,” he explained. “It requires a large open space and a lot of our facilities don’t have that much open space.”
AquaFence recently opened an office in Tampa.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
