City of St. Petersburg unveils new water lab

The City of St. Petersburg is now utilizing its new Water Resources Department laboratory. This comes after years of using a building not initially designed for testing. 

A ribbon cutting was held Dec. 9. 

The 11,600-square-foot facility, at 1650 3rd Ave. N., is used to test drinking, waste and beach surface water. 

“As the existing lab aged and the amount of work we did there increased, we realized that we really did need to move it into a building that was designed specifically for that use,” said the city’s public works administrator Claude Tankersley. 

The city’s Water Resources Department and Environmental Compliance Division collects and analyzes samples seven days a week and performs over 45,000 lab tests per year. Over 130 different types of tests are conducted. 

“Laboratories require very specific environmental conditions,” he added. These include certain temperatures, levels of humanity and the ability to provide clean air to avoid contamination. 

The collected data is given to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to verify that the Water Resources Department is meeting all requirements. This collaboration is a part of the lab’s permit, Tankersley explained. 

Staff tests for fecal indicator bacteria, heavy metals, algae and nutrients, among other indicators. 

“All this sampling is done is to ensure that the public is protected,” he said. “We need to have confidence that the water is safe for us to use.” 

The facility not only provides data to the City, but other partners including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.  

Moving into the approximately $8.5 million building was more of a transitional process, Tankersley explained. The facility is now fully operational and the original lab is no longer in use. 

The planning process for the new building began more than five years ago, he said. A construction contract was awarded in 2022.

The facility was not only created specifically to be used as a lab, but built to achieve LEED Gold certification. 

“It was designed to be both resilient and sustainable to minimize the use of materials within the construction that are not that great for our environment.” 

Additionally, the building can withstand a wind speed of 153 miles per hour. Tankersley explained that this should help keep the lab operational during a major hurricane. The facility also has backup power generators. 

“We designed it for longevity. So, hopefully this new lab will serve the community for many decades to come.”