To handle explosive growth, Wildwood will employ a temporary wastewater treatment plant until its permanent plant is functional.
City Manager Jason McHugh told commissioners Monday that the $4-million DAVCO field-erected treatment plant could process up to a million gallons daily and can be installed in about a year.
He offered a comprehensive report at the special meeting on cost estimates and funding sources for the new plant along with daily flow estimates.
Wastewater capacity has loomed as the city’s biggest issue due to residential and commercial growth, fueled by home building in the Villages of Southern Oaks and rental projects. Wildwood’s population has doubled to 31,337 since the 2020 census.
Current wastewater capacity is about 3.6 million gallons a day. By January 2026, Wildwood will need to boost its capacity by a million gallons and the DAVCO plant could meet that demand, McHugh said. The temporary plant can be sold or used for a different purpose when it is no longer needed.
Capacity will reach 5.5 million gallons daily by March 2027, when the new plant is completed.
McHugh said water from this fall’s hurricanes flowed into the system, causing it to exceed capacity. The next hurricane season could pose a similar challenge.
He said most of the inflow is caused by “old infrastructure.”
The city has spent $8.6 million so far on renovating the existing wastewater treatment plant and on engineering and pre-construction services for the new plant, expected to cost about $150 million.
Another $8.1 million will be spent this month, but much bigger spending will come early next year.
The first phase of construction will cost $35 million by late January and the second phase will cost $55 million by March. Another $55 million will be spent later on the third phase.
Revenue bonds of $121 million will fund the bulk of the project. Wildwood also received a state water quality improvements grant of $9.3 million and will transfer $9 million to the project later this month from city funds. Wastewater fees will generate $15 million and two additional grant applications could net $9.3 million.
