Part of the citywide stormwater improvement system, the 19th Street pump station plays a major role in reducing flooding, specifically in the Miami Beach Convention Center area, which has a contributing drainage basin of 110 acres. The project will directly address the impacts of sea level rise; a major concern in South Florida.
The duplex station includes four axial pumps with four 32-inch pressurized pipes discharging into a junction box, and peak capacity of 20,000 gallons per minute (gpm) each, and a total capacity of 80,000 gpm when accounting for all proposed improvements. The excavation for the pump station structures required a 30-foot-deep, 45-foot-by-50-foot watertight cofferdam. Project challenges included working within a limited footprint in a heavily urbanized and populated area, under critical timelines, and in/near areas that are environmentally and culturally sensitive, such as the Holocaust Memorial and the Botanical Gardens.
As part of a design-build team, WSP provided design, permitting and construction support for the stormwater pump station and ancillary infrastructure and discharge facilities. In addition to the pump station components and electrical infrastructure to power the station, work involved site preparation, earthwork, dewatering, parking reconstruction, utility adjustments, landscaping, and seawall modifications on the south side of the Collins Canal between Convention Center Drive and Meridian Avenue.
