Road closures will be necessary
This spring, the City of Sarasota is expected to begin a project designed to replace the existing sewer force main along South Osprey Avenue, staff reported in the city’s Feb. 14 newsletter.
The work will necessitate temporary closure of portions of the road, which is one of the primary access points to Southside Village and Southside Elementary School.
As the Environmental Protection Agency explains, sewer force mains “are pipelines that convey wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump or pneumatic ejector to a discharge point. Pumps or compressors located in a lift station provide the energy for wastewater conveyance in force mains. … Force mains are used to convey wastewater from a lower to higher elevation, particularly where the elevation of the source is not sufficient for gravity flow and/or the use of gravity conveyance will result in excessive excavation depths and high sewer pipeline construction costs.”
In July 2019, the City Commission approved the initiative, which will take approximately five months, the newsletter pointed out.
During the discussion that took place more than five years ago, then-city Utilities Director Bill Riebe emphasized the need to upgrade the city’s water and wastewater systems. Otherwise, he said, “There’s going to be pipe failures; there’s going to be sewage on the ground; there’s going to be water [line] breaks; there’s going to be continued poor water quality in terms of taste and odor” and regulatory issues with which to contend.
The overall expense of the needed initiatives was put at more than $300 million.
A graphic that Riebe presented to the commissioners said the city had 38 miles of force mains.
This spring, the existing 8-inch force main will be replaced and extended along Old Oak Drive and Spring Creek Drive, from Siesta Drive to South Osprey Avenue. It also will be extended along South Osprey Avenue from Spring Creek Drive to Alta Vista Street; and it will be extended along Bay View Drive, from Pleasant Place to South Osprey Avenue, the newsletter explained.
The project will be completed in three phases. “Click here for an interactive map showing the location, installation date, and estimated completion date of each phase.”
A graphic provided on city webpages shows that the initiative was supposed to have begun in August 2024. That was the month that Tropical Storm Debby inundated many areas of the city and Sarasota County, only to be followed by storm surge produced by Hurricanes Helene and Milton that fall.
Additional information about the project may be found at Sarasotafl.gov/OspreyAveForceMain, the newsletter said.
In early September 2019, the Sarasota City Commission approved a nearly $9-million, two-year project that entailed the replacement of 18-inch and 20-inch asbestos cement wastewater force main pipelines and a 10-inch asbestos potable water main pipe along Osprey Avenue between Bay Street and the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 1750 12th St., as a city memo explained the project.
Staff anticipated that initiative would begin in mid-October 2019 and then be completed in mid-October 2021. Pauses were planned from mid-December to April 1 during both the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, the staff memo pointed out, to eliminate unnecessary disruptions during the height of tourist season.
The utility lines “have reached the end of their useful life and require replacement,” that staff memo added