The completion of the $55.2 million Hollywood Wastewater Treatment Plant in December 2024 provided much-needed treatment capacity for the growing population and increasing business activity on the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s (STOF’s) Hollywood Reservation. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, was specified for concrete durability and to optimize the service life of the new treatment plant.
The Seminole are Native American people who have lived in Florida for thousands of years. Connected to other native cultures across North America, today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is based on the 497-acre Hollywood Reservation, one of six Seminole reservations in the state.
“The Hollywood Reservation’s previous wastewater treatment plant served about 300 homes and businesses,” explains Richard Farmer, Eastern Regional Sales Manager for Penetron USA. “However, due to continued growth in the number of residents and businesses on the Reservation – in particular, the $1.5 billion expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – a new plant with larger treatment capacity was needed.”
Built by Wharton-Smith, the general contractor, the new Hollywood wastewater treatment plant is a 3-million gallon per day (MGD) facility comprising a 4,000 ft2 operations building (with SCADA room, laboratory, offices, restrooms, garage, and electrical systems), and a 40’ tall headworks structure with rotary bar screens, grit removal equipment, and odor control system. The heart of the treatment facility is a 4-basin sequencing batch reactor (SBR) tank with each basin capable of 750,000 gallons of treatment capacity. After the SBR decant is complete, the water travels to an effluent pump station with 5 submersible pumps. These pumps send the effluent water to a depth of 40’ deep underneath the FL Turnpike to an injection well pump station (IWPS) with five additional horizontal pumps. The IWPS pumps water into two deep injection wells.
The concrete structures in wastewater treatment plants are constantly exposed to the aggressive environment of untreated effluent. The durability of the new Hollywood facility depends primarily on protecting the imbedded steel reinforcement from corrosion. Without an adequately robust waterproofing treatment, chemical attack (and the overall environment of the effluent), cracking, and joint failure can quickly become sources of concrete deterioration.
“The project engineers at Hazen and Sawyer, specialists in the design of municipal infrastructure, knew the importance of a reliable and durable concrete waterproofing solution for the new Hollywood facility,” adds Richard Farmer. “During the planning phase, PENETRON ADMIX SB was specified as the concrete waterproofing admixture to maximize the service life of the new structures.”
Ozinga, the ready-mix concrete supplier, added PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, to over 4,000 yds3 of concrete mix for the new concrete structures.
PENETRON ADMIX SB-treated concrete is impermeable, preventing water, effluent, and chemicals from entering the concrete, even under the constant exposure to the hydrostatic pressure encountered in a wastewater treatment plant. Its ability to permanently self-heal microcracks prevents any moisture and corrosion related damage from occurring over the service life of the concrete.
“The ready-mix concrete supplier appreciated the ease of use and our successful track record with similar projects using PENETRON ADMIX SB,” concludes Richard Farmer.
