Tampa Bay Water Desalination Intake Pump Station – Phase II

At one of Tampa Bay’s only desalination facilities, rising water demand and vulnerability to coastal flooding made reliable operations increasingly important. Tampa Bay Water (TBW) responded by constructing a new intake pump station capable of supplying 50 million gallons of seawater per day to the existing facility, helping ensure a reliable source of drinking water for area residents. Critical electrical systems were also elevated above the floodplain to protect against sea level rise and extreme weather.

The project had to be built inside an active Tampa Electric Company (TECO) power plant, which was undergoing its own construction work, without interrupting operations at either the desalination facility or power plant. The site also contained numerous existing utilities and was adjacent to Tampa Bay and a beloved public manatee viewing area that had to be considered during construction.

Coordination Overcomes Complexity

These challenges made early collaboration a crucial component of the project’s success. Design-build allowed the team to address design, construction and operational concerns concurrently. The team had to coordinate regularly with TECO’s own contractors working the same site, sharing access roads and sequencing their work so neither interfered with the other.

The team established a collaborative framework that included the Owner, design-build team, TECO operations staff and TECO’s contractor. Frequent coordination meetings and real-time communication allowed rapid decision-making and proactive issue resolution. This approach was critical in addressing complex site challenges, including the discovery of previously unknown utilities.

Delivered in just 18 months, the project remained on budget and recorded zero safety incidents, while construction proceeded with careful attention to the surrounding marine habitat. Strict controls and monitoring preserved the integrity of the ocean corridor, and the team extended those efforts through a partnership with Clams for Clean Water, a non-profit organization. Together, they designed and constructed clam habitats to help further improve water quality.

The result strengthens the reliability and resilience of Tampa Bay’s water supply without losing sight of the coastal environment that surrounds it. Early integration and shared decision-making allowed a design-build team to deliver critical infrastructure within a complex, active industrial facility while maintaining essential operations throughout construction.

Design-Build Team

Photos

Photo Credits: Archer Western