Protecting St. Petersburg’s critical wastewater infrastructure from storm surge

When severe weather threatens a city, protecting essential infrastructure is vital. In St. Petersburg, Florida, AquaFence is helping strengthen the resilience of a critical wastewater facility—supporting essential services for residents, hospitals, emergency facilities and hurricane shelters.

Customer

The City of St. Petersburg operates Lift Station 85, a major wastewater pumping facility located near the downtown waterfront and Albert Whitted Airport.

The station receives wastewater from almost one-quarter of the city. Its service area includes hospitals, assisted-living facilities, hurricane shelters and the City’s Emergency Operations Center. With the capacity to pump up to 23 million gallons of wastewater per day, keeping the station operational is essential to public health and community resilience.

Challenge

St. Petersburg’s low-lying coastal location makes critical infrastructure vulnerable to storm surge and flooding.

During Hurricane Helene in September 2024, approximately six feet of storm surge reached the stairs of Lift Station 85. Less than two weeks later, the threat of an even higher surge from Hurricane Milton forced the City to shut down the lift station and two water reclamation facilities as a precaution.

When wastewater infrastructure must be taken offline, the consequences reach far beyond the facility itself. Residents may be asked to avoid flushing toilets, showering, washing clothes or using dishwashers. Hospitals, shelters and emergency-response operations can also be affected when they need reliable services most.

The City needed a dependable flood-protection solution that could safeguard the station while preserving access to the site during normal operations.

Solution

The City selected AquaFence to provide an engineered flood-protection system around Lift Station 85.

The installation consists of approximately 500 linear feet of nine-foot-high AquaFence barrier. The modular system creates a strong, continuous perimeter designed to protect essential pumps, electrical equipment, and other vulnerable infrastructure from storm surge and floodwater.

Most of the barrier can remain deployed throughout hurricane season. Designated access sections remain open during normal conditions and can be installed ahead of an approaching storm, allowing the City to balance daily operational needs with emergency readiness.

AquaFence forms part of a wider resilience strategy at the facility. Additional measures include elevating critical components, installing secondary door barriers and applying waterproof coatings.

Collaboration

AquaFence worked alongside the City of St. Petersburg’s Water Resources and Public Works teams to adapt the flood-protection system to the facility’s operational requirements.

The project required careful consideration of the site layout, critical equipment, access points and deployment procedures. The result is a site-specific system that can be incorporated into the City’s hurricane-preparedness plans and activated by trained personnel when severe weather approaches.

The installation also supports the St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan, the City’s broader program for strengthening infrastructure and preparing the community for future climate impacts.

Results

The completed AquaFence gives St. Petersburg an additional layer of protection around one of its most important wastewater assets.

The system is designed to:

• Reduce the risk of floodwater reaching essential equipment

• Help the City maintain wastewater operations for as long as conditions safely allow

• Lower the likelihood of storm-related service interruptions

• Protect services relied upon by hospitals, shelters and emergency facilities

• Provide a reusable alternative to labor-intensive temporary flood measures

• Strengthen the City’s overall readiness for future hurricane seasons

  
  

Although the installation has not yet faced a major storm, its immediate result is greater preparedness. The City now has a purpose-built flood barrier in place before an emergency occurs—helping protect critical services, public health and the wider St. Petersburg community.

For coastal communities facing increasingly severe flooding, the project demonstrates how proactive planning and engineered flood protection can make essential infrastructure more resilient.