Wastewater Reimagined: Integrating Technology and Innovation into the Fort Pierce Island Water Reclamation Facility 

The reclamation facility relocates to the mainland to accommodate growing demand. 

The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) initiated a progressive design-build project to relocate the Island Water Reclamation Facility (IWRF) to a newly developed 20-acre greenfield site on the mainland. This $139.5 million project will deliver an 8-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) wastewater treatment facility with the capability to expand to 10 MGD. The new facility will serve the growing population of Fort Pierce, Florida, while enhancing water treatment efficiency, sustainability and resilience. 

The new facility provides infrastructure for comprehensive wastewater treatment. 

Haskell, in a joint venture with Globaltech, was chosen to provide design and construction services for this significant relocation. The design of the new Mainland WRF includes several advanced features: influent flow equalization, a pretreatment facility with screening and grit removal, an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) biological treatment system, a return and waste sludge pumping station, tertiary filtration, high-level disinfection systems and reject storage. In addition, deep injection wells and aerated sludge storage systems are being incorporated for residuals management, alongside reclaimed water storage and pumping stations to support water reuse initiatives. The project also involves the construction of key buildings, such as a 25,000 SF operations building, a maintenance facility, a blower building and a main electrical service building equipped with an emergency standby power system. 

Multiple technological innovations will produce best-in-class operational efficiency. 

The new WRF is designed to accommodate state-of-the-art technologies, including the AquaNereda® biological treatment system and SCADA systems for enhanced operational control and monitoring. AquaNereda® uses aerobic granular sludge (AGS) to treat wastewater more efficiently in a single-tank process, where naturally forming microbial granules break down pollutants. This advanced system reduces the treatment facility’s footprint by up to 75% and energy use by up to 50% compared to conventional systems. Notably, it is also the largest AquaNereda facility currently under construction.   

This infrastructure will ensure efficient wastewater treatment, incorporating a range of components such as effluent filters, chlorine contact basins and sludge handling facilities. The project also features significant site development for facility resiliency in tropical events. 

The project prepares Fort Pierce for Expansion and sustainability 

This project not only meets Fort Pierce’s current wastewater treatment needs but also positions the city for future growth by enabling future capacity expansion. With an expandable capacity from 8 MGD to 10 MGD and built-in reclaimed water storage, the new WRF will support the community’s long-term water management goals while incorporating sustainable and energy-efficient technologies.