Bulldozers are rolling in Lithia as Hillsborough County kicks off a $1.2 billion wastewater conveyance and treatment project at the One Water Campus, a buildout that county officials say will reshape how South Hillsborough handles everything that goes down the drain. The work will bring an advanced wastewater treatment plant, a high‑capacity pump station and a web of new pipelines designed to move wastewater and reclaimed water across the county. Planners say the upgrades are meant to take pressure off older plants and keep pace with long‑term growth in Apollo Beach, Brandon, Riverview and Ruskin. A ceremonial groundbreaking at the site is set for this week, confirming that the long‑planned project is finally moving from paper to dirt.
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Lithia work is a centerpiece of Hillsborough’s One Water South program and carries an estimated $1.2 billion price tag. The county’s own events calendar, posted through Hillsborough County, lists a groundbreaking ceremony for April 24 at the One Water Campus site at 15960 County Road 672 in Lithia, underscoring that on‑site construction is officially underway.
What the project will include
The One Water South package centers on a new advanced wastewater treatment facility, a Balm Road “super‑pump” station and fresh wastewater and reclaimed‑water mains that will tie South‑Central communities more tightly into the countywide system. As TBBWmag reports, the Balm Road station is being designed to move roughly 56 million gallons of flow per day, and the overall plant is sized to keep up with regional demand through 2050.
Timeline and program context
The new conveyance and treatment work is only one slice of the broader One Water capital push, which county officials peg at about $1.6 billion for drinking water, wastewater and reclaimed‑water improvements across Hillsborough. Program materials from Hillsborough County outline the major project components, while county presentations summarized by Citizen Portal indicate that the Lithia plant is targeted to be online by 2029.
Procurement and early staging
Behind the scenes, the county has already been busy lining up contractors and gear. Procurement documents show Hillsborough seeking progressive design‑build teams for the South County One Water Campus project while also putting out bids for specialized equipment and temporary rentals so crews can establish staging areas and access roads. Listings cited by ConstructConnect and the county’s own invitation to bid for centrifuge rentals detail those early moves to get shovels, and pipes, in place.
What residents should expect
County leaders say the sweeping program will be covered with a mix of utility rate revenue, interim financing and grant funding, and commissioners have already signed off on funding reallocations and contract changes to keep timelines intact. Citizen Portal has detailed those board actions, while earlier local coverage has urged residents to watch for upcoming public‑engagement meetings and to brace for short‑term traffic disruptions as pipeline crews work their way through South Hillsborough neighborhoods.
