City of Bradenton: Ward 4

The City of Bradenton’s wastewater infrastructure is a large and complex network, comprising more than 270 miles of pipe, including 65 miles of aging clay and cast-iron lines, 64 lift stations, and a Water Reclamation Facility that treats millions of gallons each day. Much of this infrastructure is aging, and addressing it is one of the most important responsibilities we have to our residents.

Through the City’s partnership with Woodard & Curran, an engineering and operations firm recognized for its expertise in water systems, we are moving from reactive maintenance to proactive modernization.

At the March 25 City Council meeting, we adopted a Fiscal Initiative Plan, a multi-year roadmap that aligns our $159.8 million capital improvement program with federal and state funding opportunities. Rather than placing that burden entirely on residents, our goal is to offset up to 80 percent of costs through grants and low-interest loans. That strategy is already delivering results. The City has secured more than $19 million in principal forgiveness funding through a federal hurricane relief program.

We are also pursuing Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans and Environmental Protection Agency financing programs to keep costs manageable while moving critical projects forward.

Our five-year priorities include expanding lift station and treatment capacity and relocating four lift stations currently vulnerable to coastal flooding. These projects protect water quality and neighborhood safety during extreme weather.

The framework we have built for wastewater is now being applied to stormwater and drinking water systems as well. This includes a recent $3 million request for stormwater improvements and direction from the April 8 City Council meeting to develop similar Fiscal Initiative Plans for those systems.

By continuing this approach, the City is working to strengthen all utility systems while keeping projects financially sustainable and focused on long-term reliability.