Clark, J. (2019, February 15). St. Augustine considers wall to protect wastewater treatment plant from hurricanes, rising sea levels. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/st-augustine-considers-wall-to-protect-wastewater-treatment-plant-from-hurricanes-rising-sea-levels/77-afdaf5aa-531b-49e3-80d0-0b95177fbd22

In St. Augustine, Florida, the city’s wastewater treatment plant is the “most exposed piece of infrastructure” in the face of hurricanes and rising sea levels. Steve Curmode, the supervisor of the plant, says that just eight inches of water inside the plant’s computer and electronics room would shut down the entire plant. This room is a sea level, the plant as a whole is only seven feet above sea level, and has already experienced some flooding from Hurricane Matthew. If the plant stops working, it would “basically flood the Intracoastal Waterway with e-Coli, bacteria and all that stuff that’s in the waste stream”. The city is weighing different options to prevent such a catastrophe. Moving the plant or building a new one would likely cost $100 million, an improbable option given that the city’s annual budget is $50 million. There is the option of using neighboring St. Johns County’s wastewater treatment system, but there has not been any discussion yet. The most probable option at this point is to build a wall around the plant. A 25 foot wall would “protect against a category 5 hurricane and sea level rise for the next 30 years”, and would cost $5 million.

Wastewater treatment is an essential service for every city. However, if a plant is not doing its job properly, there will be disgusting and disastrous results. For whatever reason, the St. Augustine wastewater treatment plant seems to have been poorly placed to begin with. This situation shows the importance of long-term city planning. In this case, the effects of climate change are the biggest threat, with rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather. Increasing population sizes, especially in cities, is another source of pressure that wastewater treatment plants may face. Wastewater treatment plants must be difficult to renovate given that they are large structures, and must be running continuously because of how essential their service is. I wonder if there is any way to make the process more flexible, so that wastewater management can better adjust to threats such as flooding, or higher demand. Another hinderance to wastewater treatment plant renovation is the cost. The options that St. Augustine is considering cost millions of dollars, as well as time and labor. I wonder where that money may come from, and if cities have a fund specifically for wastewater management.