To provide a crucial backup system for managing wastewater safely and efficiently, the City of Fort Lauderdale is installing 4,000 LF of 60-inch-diameter, redundant, effluent force main from its George T. Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant (GTLWWTP) to the City’s deep injection wells site. Initially, the new force main will serve as the primary means for effluent disposal while the City rehabilitates the plant’s primary force main under a separate project. As lead design-build engineer with prime contractor Ric-Man Construction Florida, Wade Trim is providing hydraulic modeling, design, permitting, and construction administration for the project.

The force main alignment begins on Eisenhower Boulevard at SE 18th Street and moves south. Located near the Port Everglades terminals and fuel storage facilities, and the Brevard County Convention Center, the project area is congested with utilities and includes contaminated soils and groundwater. Designed for installation via open cut and micro-tunnelling, the force main features Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) underground and Ductile Iron Pipe (DIP) above grade. The design team worked with pipe manufacturers to modify the PCCP trenchless pipe skid to complete pipe placement within a narrow clearance. Additional design tasks included relocation of third-party utilities, hydraulic and transient modeling, modifications to five disposal injection wells, adjustments to the effluent pump station manifold, bypass pumping and flow metering, electrical and instrumentation modifications, and replacement of stormwater systems.

To solve logistical challenges and meet aggressive construction milestones, Eisenhower Boulevard was widened. Detailed maintenance of traffic plans were set to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction while accommodating shaft construction in the roadway, including at the Convention Center entrance. Construction impacts to nearby critical stakeholder operations and the public are being minimized by excavating at night, and wet shaft excavation is reducing dewatering and potential contamination plume displacement.

Extensive coordination with multiple stakeholders and utility owners has been critical throughout the project. The force main was designed in three phases to meet contract deadlines and accommodate five major capital improvement projects that overlapped within the project corridor, including a hotel, parking garage, and future elevated rail system. Permits and approvals are being coordinated with the City of Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Broward County, South Florida Water Management District, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The force main is scheduled to be complete by mid-2026.