Largo’s wastewater treatment plant made it through the 2024 hurricanes without shutting down. The city is now paying to find out how much closer the next storm could come to changing that.

Largo commissioners approved $173,000 over the summer for a storm flooding and surge resiliency study. They hired an engineering consultant based in St. Petersburg to do the work. The plant serves roughly 100,000 residents and treats about 11 million gallons of wastewater a day.

Plant manager Kyle Hicks said Helene was a different kind of test. Earlier storms such as Debby and Milton brought heavy rain, but he said the plant “never” had seen a storm surge like Helene’s. He described six to eight feet of surge. The water did not overtop the plant’s tanks, and crews kept it running while residents were sheltered at home and still needed to flush toilets and run sinks. Hicks credited his staff and said shutting down would have been the last resort.

The margin was not unlimited. Hicks said the site’s electrical buildings stayed dry during Helene, but three or four more feet of surge would have started to get water inside them. The city has already made minor changes, he said, and the study is meant to determine what larger ones make sense. Among the options being weighed are elevating equipment, improving drainage and adding barriers or storm doors to protect buildings.

The consultant is expected to finish its analysis in the coming weeks and to identify the plant’s most vulnerable points. According to Hicks, the study is meant to balance risk reduction against what is practical and what it costs. He said his goal is to leave the plant in better shape for the next generation of operators.

USF wastewater expert Sarina Ergas said Florida has led the nation in wastewater investment. She noted that many of the state’s facilities date to the 1960s and 1970s and rely on aging technology. Newer treatment methods, she said, can use less land and less energy, require fewer chemicals and be easier for operators to run.

The plant held up when it counted, and the city is spending a relatively modest sum to decide what to do next. The larger question for Largo residents and utility customers will come once the recommendations arrive: what the fixes cost and who pays for them.

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