Tampa's Bayshore Blvd pumping stations slated for $17M upgrades

TAMPA, Fla. - One of Tampa’s oldest wastewater pumping stations is undergoing $17 million in upgrades.

The Bayshore Pumping Station, located along the grassy median on Bayshore Blvd just south of Bay to Bay Blvd, was first put into service in 1955. 

It collects wastewater from nearby businesses, homes, and schools east of Dale Mabry Hwy in between Interbay Blvd and Bay to Bay Blvd. 

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"We're going to completely rehabilitate the station," Tampa Wastewater Dept. Director Eric Weiss said. "And what that means is, bring it up to modern-day times." 

The electrical equipment, which is currently underground, will be moved above ground and will be surrounded by a nine-foot concrete wall. Additionally, crews will increase the number of pumps to four. 

"And the four pumps really aren’t for new capacity; they’re for backup if anything happens to one of the two pumps that you already have," Weiss said. 

They’ll also replace the standby generator, which was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. The new one can go three days before it needs more fuel. 

"During Hurricane Milton, we had to deploy over 60 to 70 standby generators because of TECO power outages at our pumping stations. And we had to run our fuel truck 24 hours a day for days until the power could come back on," Weiss said. "Our technicians will love (the new pumping station’s generator), because they can fuel this up before the storm, and it can run three days before they have to come back."

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This project is funded by the city’s $2.9 billion Progressive Infrastructure Plan to Ensure Sustainability (PIPES) program, which was approved by the city council in 2019. 

City leaders told FOX 13 the new pumping station will have a similar look to the old pumping station. 

However, the plan is to build the new station roughly 40 to 50 feet south of where it is now, which will reduce sight obstructions at Bayshore Blvd and Mason and Stovall Streets, according to Weiss. 

Work to finish the project will take a year, which means the fences surrounding the construction site in the grassy median will be up through Gasparilla until the project’s completion in Fall 2025. 

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