Tampa Bay 24/7: Overnight shift at Hillsborough County Wastewater

Tampa Bay 24/7: Hillsborough Wastewater Treatment Plant

FOX 13 photojournalist Ryan French takes an inside look at Hillsborough County?s Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ruskin.

RUSKIN, Fla. - While the Tampa Bay area sleeps, a team of workers at the South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ruskin are wide awake, converting sewage into water that is safe for the environment.

What they're saying:

Kevin Grant, Wastewater Section Manager for the Hillsborough County Water Resources Department, has seen it all. Clogs caused by wipes, toys, and even surges in flow during storms are just some of the challenges the facility faces.

"Everything that goes down your toilet, your drains, from the sink, from the washing machine, it all ends up at this facility," Grant said. "We clean it all up and make it environmentally friendly. We protect the environment and the community."

Pictured: South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ruskin.

Science is at the forefront of the treatment process. From the moment sewage enters the plant, it begins a multi-stage journey that includes removing solids and grit, managing biological nutrient levels, and disinfecting the water before it’s reused for irrigation or reintroduced into the environment.

"Wastewater is 90% water," Grant noted. "And when we’re done with it, it’s either sent to aquifer recharge wells, used for industrial cooling, or, in some cases, excess is discharged into Tampa Bay."

Plant Manager Alfonso Higareda has worked at Hillsborough County for 17 years.

"It makes me feel so happy that I serve the public and help the environment, even if everything we do is in the background," he said.

Pictured: South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ruskin.

Higareda explained that the five-stage biological treatment process is done with no added chemicals. Operators run lab tests throughout each shift to make precise, science-based adjustments to ensure the final product is safe for use.

"If you're not licensed, you can't just walk in and do this job. It takes a year just to qualify to take the test," Higareda said.

Both Grant and Higareda emphasized how critical the overnight staff is in maintaining state compliance and ensuring the public’s health and safety. Whether it’s Christmas Eve or the middle of a hurricane, someone is always on-site working.

Pictured: Overnight work taking place at the South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ruskin.

"Hospitals, police officers, firefighters, everyone depends on us doing our job so they can do theirs," said Higareda.

Their biggest message to the public? Be mindful of what you flush.

"Flushable wipes are not flushable," Grant stressed. "Dental floss, hair, oils, chemicals, none of that should go down your drains. It causes clogs, breaks equipment, and disrupts the treatment process."

Contamination from non-biological matter such as grease, chemicals, and paint often require the water to be re-treated.

Pictured: "Headworks" at the South County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ruskin.

By the numbers:

Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including holidays and hurricanes, the facility can process up to 10 million gallons of wastewater per day. That number is expected to rise as Hillsborough County continues to grow in population.

For that reason, the plant is undergoing an expansion to handle up to 13 million gallons per day. A sixth wastewater facility is also being constructed in Lithia to accommodate the demand in the south part of the county.

What you can do:

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