Ocean Outfall Legislation Program and Construction Management Services

The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) is one of the largest public utility systems in the U.S., serving more than 2.5 million residents and thousands of visitors across Miami-Dade County. Established in 1942, WASD provides critical water and wastewater services to homes, businesses, and industries in the region, ensuring the safe treatment and distribution of drinking water and the responsible management of wastewater. 

WASD’s Ocean Outfall Legislation (OOL) implementation program is a significant environmental initiative to reduce the discharge of treated wastewater into the Atlantic Ocean and enhance wastewater treatment infrastructure. The program is a response to Florida’s Ocean Outfall Legislation, passed in 2008, which requires utilities like WASD to cease using ocean outfalls for routine wastewater disposal and to upgrade treatment processes to meet higher environmental standards. 

With sensitive coastal ecosystems at risk, including coral reefs, and growing demands from a rising population, WASD needed a forward-thinking approach to meet stringent regulatory deadlines, enhance water quality, and protect its marine environment. This large-scale transformation required innovative solutions and a multibillion-dollar investment in infrastructure upgrades. 

We have been a key subconsultant of the OOL program since 2014, providing experienced project managers and technical staff. This $7 billion initiative expands and enhances Miami-Dade’s wastewater collection and treatment systems and aligns WASD’s pump station improvement program, water system projects, and the utility’s capital improvement plan. 

As an integrated part of the program management team, our firm is leading technical efforts to modernize the Central District, North District, and South District wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for enhanced treatment and increased capacity. Our project managers work closely with WASD’s operations group, procurement teams, and permitting agencies, ensuring seamless coordination. We lead programmatic planning efforts, manage design consultants, oversee permitting and procurement processes, and assist in developing key program documents.  

Our team led the conceptual design efforts for the North District WWTP, including the development of 75 million gallons per day (MGD) high-level disinfection (HLD) facilities. These facilities include: 

• MegaDisk filters. 
• Chlorine contact tanks. 
• Electrical and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. 
• Injection well pump station. 
• Effluent pump station (EPS). 
• Other critical infrastructure. 

We evaluated the feasibility of modifying the EPS to convey secondary effluent to the new HLD treatment system and the ocean outfall. Our team also assessed the potential impacts of sea-level rise and recommended solutions for peak flow conditions. 

We are playing a pivotal role in the procurement and construction management of deep injection wells at the South District WWTP. This project involves constructing three 24-inch, steel-cased injection wells, each capable of handling 18.6 MGD of effluent. Drilling through the Biscayne and Floridan aquifers requires extensive monitoring and testing to comply with environmental regulations. 

Our construction management team coordinates with hydrogeologists, plant operations, and the contractor to maintain schedules, manage change orders, and make sure safety protocols are followed. This project, partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, requires strict reporting and compliance oversight. 

GFT continues to work proactively and collaboratively with WASD’s planning, operations, and maintenance teams, alongside the engineer of record, to address challenges that arise during construction and ensure the program’s success.