Leveraging Grant Funds to Reduce Private System I/I

Pinellas County Utilities (PCU) wastewater collection system is aging and experiences excessive levels of inflow and infiltration (I/I) during wet weather events. These events have caused sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) due to impacts of I/I and resulting capacity limitations in the system and the downstream water reclamation facilities. PCU's South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility (SCBWRF) is permitted at 33 million gallons per day (MGD) and can experience peak flows up to 100 MGD during severe wet weather events such as tropical storms. PCU has identified a significant portion of its I/I originate from the private-side, with significant contributions from manufactured housing communities (MHC). PCU has identified 14 private MHCs within the Lealman, Largo, and Lake Seminole areas whose wastewater systems contribute high or excessive I/I to the County's public wastewater collection system and initiated a program for the replacement of these private systems. PCU views the MHCs wastewater systems holistically as these systems are conveyed to the County's public system. Improving these systems impact multiple elements such as environmental stewardship, operation and maintenance, sustainability, and public health. MHCs are also residences to many fixed and low-income community members. This project addresses an identified need in areas with economically vulnerable populations, as the 4,000 residences associated with the 14 MHCs do not have sufficient cash funds for the significant sewer system improvements. Recognizing that the cost to repair these systems would be a huge burden on residents, the County worked directly with these communities to secure state and federal funding to upgrade each system at no cost to them. While the County will own and maintain the systems permanently, homeowners will still own and maintain the private lateral once the project is complete. Replacement of the wastewater collection systems would eliminate leaking pipes, manholes, and illegal connections from storm and roof drains. Replacing the systems will reduce the likelihood of SSOs and associated impacts leading to higher water quality in the area and nearby water bodies, a contribution to the protection of living coastal and marine resources and their environments, and a more resilient wastewater collection system in an environmentally vulnerable area. As this project requires significant federal and state funding investment, PCU evaluated vulnerabilities of each MHC to sea level rise and flooding impacts due to climate change. Figure 1 presents a location map of each MHC included in the program as well as overall flood risk. Because the MHCs are private systems, PCU cannot utilize Enterprise dollars and must solely use grant dollars to fund the design and construction of the 14 MHC wastewater systems. As presented in Table 1, the County has received various grant funding for this program, with varying associated requirements and schedules, adding an additional tier of complexity. Because the 90 percent opinion of probable construction cost (OPCC) of approximately $80M developed by the engineer came in higher than PCU's original estimate of $25 million, PCU is currently applying for additional grant money. Currently, PCU has the grant funding available to complete the wastewater system construction of 10 MHCs. This paper will provide an overview of the major components and associated challenges of the County's MHC Wastewater System Improvements Program: 1.Social Equity: Rehabilitating/replacing these wastewater systems in underserved communities such as the MHC's promotes and supports equitable participation involving the County's infrastructure investments, thereby maximizing the benefits aspect of social equity. Other social equity considerations include participation, construction sequencing, and communication to address fair treatment and maximize benefits for inclusive outreach aspects. 2.Funding: Implementing a programmatic approach for funding the program solely through grants with no Enterprise investment and, concurrently, how to strategically leverage and obtain additional funding. 3.Grant Administration: Continually meeting the reporting and schedule requirements of all three funding sources outlined in Table 1. 4.System Acquisition Planning: A step by step process on how to target, acquire, and plan for the transfer of infrastructure and associated maintenance of 14 MHC wastewater systems, and concurrently meeting the federal provisions required by the grants. 5.Design: PCU has onboarded a consultant for the design of the 14 MHCs to meet the grant requirements. 6.Bidding and Construction: PCU has considered alternative delivery, CMAR, and design-bid-build for the construction of the 14 MHC wastewater systems in accordance with requirements of the grants. Because of the complexity and tight schedule requirements, the construction schedule has been compressed and will need to consider specific grant reporting requirements, such as Davis Bacon requirements. PCU intends to onboard multiple contractors and organize separate bid packages per County procurement, grant requirements, and funding availability. 7.Public Outreach: PCU developed and implemented a comprehensive and successful public outreach program for buy-in and engagement of the 14 MHCs, which includes over 4,000 residences.