Pike River Lift Station

Background

A First of Its Kind in the Midwest, and Voted Best of State

The State of Wisconsin, the Village of Mount Pleasant, and the Racine County Economic Development Corporation required infrastructure planning and evaluation for a large development opportunity. To address the needs of the development and surrounding community, we provided knowledge and expertise for more than $83 million in wastewater conveyance and pumping.

Approach

As part of the project, over 60,000 LF of gravity sewer and force main were designed—more than 12 miles of pipe in all. Our team also planned, designed, and oversaw construction of the new 40 MGD Pike River Lift Station. Goals for the lift station included improved methods for scum and wet well cleaning and features that reduced odor and corrosion within the station, along with the flexibility to expand to 75 MGD in the future.

In designing the Pike River Lift Station, we incorporated elements that are new to lift stations in the Midwest. In particular, the trench-style wet well can be cleaned at the push of a button and generates minimal turbulence and no air entrainment. Three horizontal pumps work in concert to move solids through the station with minimal vibration and cavitation. Odors are managed through a multi-chambered radial odor unit, and redundancy is provided through separate utility power sources.

During the initial planning phase, we identified the opportunity to combine the village’s existing lift station with the new Pike River Lift Station. The team determined that combining the two stations would create significant cost savings compared to managing them simultaneously. Our unique concept enabled service to a larger geographic area and will save the village over $50 million in future infrastructure costs.

Results

Construction on the lift station started in June 2020 and was substantially completed in April 2022. Despite an accelerated schedule, supply chain issues and other pandemic-related challenges, the Pike River Lift Station was completed within 1.0% of the original bid price. Lift station costs were $18.7 million, paid through TID and clean water funding.

The project also received an Engineering Excellence Award Best of State by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin.