The City of Cape Coral will construct a reclaimed water transmission main from the Everest Water Reclamation Facility to a connection point in Fort Myers near the Midpoint Bridge.

Cape Coral + the Caloosahatchee River

The City of Cape Coral is committed to providing reliable water to its customers and will continue to do so with the Caloosahatchee Connect project. The project will consist of a pipeline that will be installed across the Caloosahatchee River from the Everest Water Reclamation Facility, which is located in Cape Coral, to a connection point in Fort Myers near the Midpoint Bridge. This pipeline will enable the Everest Water Reclamation Facility to receive up to 12 million gallons of reclaimed water per day from the City of Fort Myers. The reclaimed water will be treated to conform to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection standards.

The additional water will benefit Cape Coral by providing:

More reclaimed water to Cape Coral which will help to maintain freshwater canal levels during the dry season
Additional water to be used for irrigation to water lawns and for fire protection purposes

In addition to providing Cape Coral with a needed source of water, the pipeline will also allow the City of Fort Myers to reduce discharges into the river.

Construction Location

The project is expected to be constructed using a combination of traditional open-cut (trench) pipe installation and horizontal directional drill (HDD) or trenchless technology. The open-cut pipe installation will take place along Everest Parkway, connecting the pipeline from the Everest Water Reclamation Facility to the river entry point at Horton Park. The pipeline will be installed under the river with an exit point located in the greenspace on San Marcos in Fort Myers. The City of Fort Myers will then connect the reclaimed water main to their South Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. To learn more about the pipeline construction in Fort Myers, click here.

By using horizontal directional drilling, the pipeline will be installed with no disturbance to the river bottom, avoiding harm to the environment. When complete, this 7,600-foot reclaimed water transmission main will be the largest and longest subaqueous horizontal directional drill project using fusible polyvinyl chloride pipe (FPVC) in the United States.

Water during dry season

Cape Coral will have more reclaimed water which will help to maintain freshwater canal levels during the dry season.

Fire Protection and irrigation

The reclaimed water will allow the City of Cape Coral to provide reclaimed water for irrigation use and fire protection purposes.

Largest and Longest

When the Caloosahatchee Connect project is complete, the 7,600-foot reclaimed water transmission main will be the largest and longest subaqueous horizontal directional drill (HDD) project using fusible polyvinyl chloride pipe (FPVC) in the United States.

To learn more about the construction in Fort Myers and the reclaimed pipe installation path through the city, click here.

Watch and learn how the pipeline will be installed with horizontal directional drilling.

Horizontal Directional Drilling

Horizontal directional drill, or HDD, is a surface to surface pipe installation method with an entrance and exit site at each end of the drill. Limited work areas are needed on each side of the Caloosahatchee River on the south side of Midpoint Bridge. Using this trenchless technology will allow the new pipeline to be installed while avoiding harm to the environment. Watch the video above to see a demonstration of the HDD process.

Project Timing and Progress

Cape Coral: Everest Parkway and River Pipeline Design & Permitting

The project design and permitting phase was completed in 2021.

Cape Coral – Everest Parkway: Spring 2022 – Mid- 2023 (anticipated dates)

Step 1: Pilot Bore

The first step in the Horizonal Directional Drill process is to drill the pilot bore. This is done by pushing and rotating a drill bit along the planned path from the entry location to the exit location. Once the pilot bore reaches the exit pit, this step in the Horizontal Directional Drill process is complete.

Step 2: Reaming

Step 2 in the Horizontal Directional Drill process is reaming. This consists of pushing or pulling reaming, or widening, tools of larger diameters through the pilot bore, making the bore larger until the desired diameter is achieved.

Step 3: Fusing the reclaimed water transmission (product) pipe

The pipe sections will be lined up end to end, fused together and then inspected. The pipe is then pressure tested with water and drained, then placed on rollers with cranes and lifting equipment and strung along Everest Parkway. The rollers help stabilize and guide the pipe into the bore pit. Once the pipe is fused, staged, and tested, it is ready to be pulled into the reamed bore.

Step 4: Pull Back

During the final step, the reclaimed water transmission pipe will be pulled back in its entirety through the reamed path from Horton Park at the west end of Everest Parkway toward the Fort Myers side of the river. The pipe will be tested again and connected to the newly installed reclaimed water transmission main pipe on Everest Parkway from Horton Park to the Everest Parkway Water Reclamation Facility. The City of Fort Myers will then connect the east end of the pipe to their South Advanced Water Treatment Facility.