At 54 million gallons-per-day, the Lake Manatee Water Treatment Plant in Bradenton, Florida, is one of the largest ultrafiltration retrofits in North America. Manatee County selected PCL's team based on our extensive experience with ultrafiltration membrane technology and a history of helping communities in subtropical regions solve their water treatment needs. 

For Manatee County, success relied on two things:  

• Upgrade a well-used facility to one that makes the best use of modern technology while increasing capacity to produce valuable potable water for its clients.  

• Minimize our own impact on the ongoing operations while we ran process piping installations, bypasses and tie-ins. The plant can only be shut down at specific times of the calendar year.  

Getting it right meant drawing on technology and our own expertise while staying flexible with work sequencing and methods. The team made modifications as challenges arose and seized opportunities that best fit the county’s needs. 

An in-depth study of the scope of work included a 3D spatial analysis of the system’s components, their interaction with existing infrastructure and overall constructability. Field surveys and think tank internal collaborations gave us the knowledge we needed to inform the county of challenges between the building itself and installation of the new filtration technology. We assigned resources and reviewed submittals early and managed construction in ways that managed the risks and kept the project moving along in the limited working space.

A focus on communication and presenting alternatives before issues arose led to a shared understanding of interests. The new filtration system at the water treatment plant provides nearly 400,000 permanent residents with enhanced water quality in their homes and businesses, and lower long-term production costs for their potable water.