GIWA announces another milestone in new water reclamation facility update

BY BONNIE PRINGLE, GIWA- Phase II rehabilitation of GIWA’s Water Reclamation Facility located on Gasparilla Inn & Club’s golf course has reached another milestone. The final concrete pour was done this week for the new preliminary treatment structure, which includes two new concrete tanks, and an elevated platform to support new equipment and walkways.  
One tank will be used to equalize incoming wastewater flows throughout the day, allowing for optimal treatment.  This tank is scheduled to be put into service late Spring 2021. The second tank and biological treatment basins are scheduled to be put in service in 2022.
Last week we took delivery of a 23,000-pound, 14’ x 24’, prefabricated electrical building. Due to the width of the building, it was an oversized load taking up part of the oncoming traffic lane onto the Island with pilot truck escorts.  
To allow for the width, the guard rails on the GIWA’s temporary bridge even had to be removed. The building was transported to a smaller truck and trailer on 7th Street and then slowly taken to the plant site and set on the elevated platform. This took a carefully coordinated effort between Mid-State Transport LLC, Bowe’s Tractor Service, DNJ Crane Service, Cardinal Contractors, Inc and Kelly Brothers, Inc.  
With the last concrete pour and the use of the bridge for large cranes to set our equipment now behind us, we are now ready to remove the center span of our temporary bridge leaving the channel open to boaters until May 1, 2021 when it was scheduled to be reinstalled.
Kelly Brothers, Inc. is scheduled to be onsite Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 to begin removal which takes about three days to complete.      
Cardinal Contractors, Inc will continue construction of the flow equalization tank with plans for it to be put in service late next Spring. Once it is in service, we can demolish the existing equalization tank to allow space for construction of our new state-of-the-art treatment equipment.  
Phase III scheduled for next summer includes the installation of biological treatment equipment for the two treatment trains, followed by the installation of three membrane bioreactors for ultrafiltration. Plans for Phase IV include the removal of the old steel tanks and the construction of two additional concrete flow equalization tanks. 
Bonnie Pringle is the executive director of the Gasparilla Island Water Association.