Sewer district wins variance to site new Rikers Ridge lift station after odor, capacity debate

Madison’s Board of Zoning Appeals on April 14 approved a variance allowing the Telegraph Hill/Rikers Ridge Sewer District to place a below‑grade lift station on a half‑acre parcel to replace an aging station located close to the road.

The sewer district’s representative, Jeff Meinders, told the board the current station sits “in the road right away” and rebuilding it there would be costly and unsafe for maintenance. He said engineers identified the approved parcel as hydraulically necessary and that the new design will include odor control, chain‑link fencing and staggered evergreen screening.

“Hydraulically, the engineers have run their models, and they’ve been out and went to every home with a grinder tank,” Meinders said. “They've identified, put it all in their computer, and ran their hydraulic model, and it says, this thing needs to be here.”

Residents described longstanding odor and maintenance problems at the existing lift station. Jeff Fagan, who lives adjacent to the current station, said the hydrogen sulfide smell from the facility has been a repeated problem for decades and urged immediate mitigation measures during the replacement project.

“I get dad getting my mail. I get dad going out to lunch… IDLH is immediate danger to life and health,” Fagan said, describing past exposure and urging that odor control be installed. Board members acknowledged repeated complaints and heard staff say the current station has no odor control while the proposed design would include a chemical feed odor‑control system and buried station with minimal above‑ground profile.

Board members moved through the state’s three variance criteria and approved the request by roll call; all voting members present voted yes. In discussion they cited the system’s age, engineering constraints, and sewer‑capacity needs as reasons the strict lot‑size requirement created a practical difficulty.

The board recorded conditions and expectations during the hearing: the new station will be screened, include odor control sized to the installation, and the existing roadside station will be decommissioned and backfilled after the new station is operational. Meinders said the district will pursue funding and loans to construct the facility once zoning relief was secured.

Neighbors and the sewer district said the new station is intended to reduce odors and improve maintenance access; the project also aims to avoid costly and risky work in the public right‑of‑way. Board members and staff encouraged neighbors to continue airing site‑specific concerns to the sewer district and noted state regulators (IDE M/IDEM) handle environmental compliance and spill response.

With the variance approved, the sewer district said it would finalize engineering and funding and return to permitting and construction steps required by the city and state.