Sarasota County Public Utilities Converts Largest County Wastewater Treatment Facility To Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Sarasota County completed a major milestone with the Bee Ridge Advanced Wastewater Treatment Conversion and Expansion project. On Dec. 5, the county held a ribbon-cutting for the upgraded facility, which is the largest membrane bioreactor facility in the state and Sarasota County’s largest capital improvement project to date.

Through this five-year project, the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility was expanded from treating 12 million gallons per day to 18 million gallons per day, to meet the growing needs of Sarasota County over the next 20 years.

This project converted the facility to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) to meet the strictest water quality standards in the state. The AWT process reduces the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the reclaimed water produced, which is then returned to the environment through irrigation and salinity barrier wells. Limiting the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus protects Sarasota County’s bays, estuaries and waterways.

Throughout the process, Public Utilities continued to operate the preexisting facility while completing the upgrade and expansion project. In doing so, staff practiced sustainability by repurposing existing infrastructure.

“This project is a combined effort with a lasting impact for our community,” said Brooke Bailey, director of Public Utilities. “Our priority is to consistently upgrade our infrastructure and systems to meet the needs of Sarasota County and protect our beautiful environment.”

Keeping the community’s needs at the forefront of this project, Sarasota County created a Citizen Stakeholder Group of residents who met and provided feedback throughout the entirety of the project. Recommendations from the group that were implemented by Public Utilities included the use of larger scrubbers that help minimize odor for neighboring communities and relocated generators to diminish noise.

Sarasota County Public Utilities partnered with Capital Projects, Carollo Engineers and Garney Construction to bring this project to fruition. Additionally, Sarasota County proudly received the Gold Envision award from the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure in 2024, which recognizes projects that positively impact the environment, economy, and community.

This is the first of Sarasota County’s three water reclamation facilities to be converted to Advanced Wastewater Treatment. Sarasota County broke ground on the Venice Gardens AWT Conversion and Expansion project in May 2025.

For more information about the Bee Ridge Advanced Wastewater Treatment facility, visit scgov.net.