In early April, the PCB City Council passed a resolution accepting a $5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund part of Phase 1 of the City’s Water Redundancy Project, a major step in enhancing the resilience and reliability of the local water distribution system.
The grant funds will support the construction of a transmission line running eastward from State Road 79 along Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway to Pier Park Drive. The transmission line will extend approximately 6,500 feet and range in size from 30 to 36 inches. The estimated project costs for this segment of water main are $9.7 million.
“This grant represents a significant investment in the future of Panama City Beach’s infrastructure,” said Utilities Director Mark Shaeffer. “By improving our water system’s redundancy, we are increasing the City’s ability to respond to emergencies and meet future growth demands. This is the first step of an overall program to enhance the ability to move water east/west across our service area. Planned future extensions will generally follow the alignment of Philip Griffitts Parkway eastward to Chip Seal Parkway.”
The Utilities Department’s Water Redundancy Plan is an infrastructure strategy designed to improve levels of service, increase overall reliability, and better prepare the City for water supply emergencies. The plan includes several short- and long-term projects, including:
- The planned West End Water Supply Storage and Pumping Station (WEWSSP), a project aimed at enhancing operating pressures and supply reliability to the extreme western portion of the service area. This project involves the development of a third water storage and pumping facility immediately west of the West Bay Storage and Pumping Station on Sidecamp Road, with connecting piping and transfer pumping capability to move stored water between the two stations.
- Expansion and upgrade of the McElvey Storage and Pumping Station, including additional water storage and a replacement high-service pumping station with redundant pumping, controls, and standby power for increased reliability.
- The Sidecamp Road to Kelly Street Water Transmission Main project targets improved reliability and service levels by developing a system loop and providing high-service input into the extreme western portion of the City’s franchise area.
- The Philip Griffitts Parkway West Water Transmission Main will provide a second connection to serve new development in the West Laird area and offer a second high-service supply input into the western portion of the City’s service area.
Other water system improvements made in the past several months include:
- Purchasing a second valve-exercising machine and budgeting for an additional crew to double the rate of securing GPS location data for all system valves and exercising them to maintain function.
- Purchasing a fifth ground-penetrating radar (GPR) machine to locate underground utilities and collect GPS data.
- Preparing bid documents to secure contracts for on-call emergency construction contractor support to maintain critical water system operations.
- Incorporating a needed 30-inch transmission pipe connection across Panama City Beach Parkway, near the intersection of Chip Seal Parkway, to be installed with the planned roadway widening.
“Investments like these are vital to the long-term health and prosperity of our community,” said Shaeffer. “We’re not just building for today—we’re preparing for tomorrow.”
For more information about the City’s Utilities Department, visit www.pcbfl.gov.
