St. Petersburg’s Northeast Sewer Plant has completed a $67 million upgrade that public works officials say allows it to withstand a 15-foot storm surge — more than double the surge that forced it offline during Hurricane Helene.
The plant was shut down for the first time during Helene’s 6.3-foot storm surge in 2024, causing one million gallons of sewage to spill into surrounding neighborhoods and leaving residents unable to flush toilets or use water for nearly a day.
Mayor Ken Welch offered the first public look at the completed project last Friday. The upgrades, which began in 2022, were accelerated and expanded after the 2024 storms through the city’s St. Pete Agile Resilience program, known as SPAR. The improvements include three generators and a large diesel storage tank now housed on an elevated platform.
Welch said the project came in under its original budget. “They’re telling me it came in about $3 million under the $70 million budget, even with the new enhancements,” he said.
City Council Member Lisset Hanewicz, who had previously criticized the short notice residents received when the plant shut down in 2024, called the upgraded facility a significant improvement. “This experience with both Helene and Milton gives the city an opportunity to provide better communications next time around,” she said.
Welch plans to ask voters to approve a $600 million infrastructure bond this November, with funds earmarked for stormwater improvements, additional sewer upgrades, and neighborhood flood mitigation projects. The overall stormwater master plan is estimated to cost well over $1 billion.
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