The City of St. Petersburg completed a major resilience upgrade at its Northeast Water Reclamation Facility with the installation of the patented FRA Flood Panel system from Flood Risk America, strengthening the facility’s ability to remain operational during hurricanes and storm surge events.

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The FRA Flood Panel installed at City of St. Petersburg's Northeast Water Reclamation Facility

According to Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley, the project included the installation of flood panels on the facility’s filter station building and expanded to protect a total of 11 buildings across the site.

In total, the city invested just over $1 million in 100 flood panels for the Northeast facility. Now fully installed, the panels safeguard critical infrastructure and equipment essential to the final stages of wastewater treatment.

“This was a very big upgrade,” said Tankersley. “We are now at the point that if we were to receive a storm similar to Helene, we would not have to shut down this plant.”

The Northeast Water Reclamation Facility was taken offline for the first time during Hurricane Helene and again during Hurricane Milton, which accelerated the city’s efforts to harden the plant. Completed improvements included elevating vulnerable equipment and installing flood panels on low-lying buildings most susceptible to storm surge.

Tankersley noted that the flood panels provide protection comparable to perimeter flood barrier systems such as an Aquafence, while offering a more targeted and cost-effective solution.

“Instead of building a wall around the entire facility, we achieved the same level of protection by attaching the panels directly to the buildings,” he said.

At the filter station, the completed installation now protects critical equipment housed in a large underground bay that had previously been inundated with saltwater flooding. Following Hurricane Helene, the bay was filled with standing water, exposing electrical systems to saltwater damage and requiring extensive repairs.

Each opening at the filter station required three flood panels, and the installed system now provides sufficient coverage for all 11 designated buildings at the Northeast facility. Tankersley emphasized that flood panels offer significant cost savings compared to elevating buildings, which could cost tens of millions of dollars per structure.

“At some point in the future, when this building and its equipment become obsolete, raising it may make sense,” he said. “But completing this flood panel installation provided a much more practical and economical solution.”

In addition to the Northeast facility, the city also completed the installation of a similar flood panel system at its Southwest Water Reclamation Facility, further strengthening St. Petersburg’s wastewater infrastructure against future storm events.

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The Northeast Water Reclamation Facility was taken offline for the first time during Hurricane Helene and again during Hurricane Milton, which accelerated the city’s efforts to harden the plant.