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Presenter outlines plan to double pumping capacity at 16th Street detention in Dubuque
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Summary
A presenter described the Dubuque Gate and Pump Flood Mitigation — 16th Street Detention Project, saying it will replace the existing pump station to roughly double pumping capacity from about 220,000 to 400,000 gallons per minute, cost roughly $28 million and rely on federal grants and local sales-tax funds.
The presenter described a project to replace the pump station at the 16th Street detention basin, saying the work aims to roughly double the facility's pumping capacity to reduce the risk of downtown flooding. "The project's called the Dubuque Gate and Pump Flood Mitigation 16th Street Detention Project," the presenter said.
The presenter said runoff that previously flowed over land and streets now reaches a channel after work on the Upper B branch project and enters the detention basin more rapidly, increasing demand on pumps. "So it ends up in the 16th Street Detention rather rapidly," the presenter said, adding that crews must "pump that out efficiently before it gets to a certain elevation, which would cause flooding in the downtown area."
The current pump station, the presenter said, has a capacity of about 220,000 gallons per minute; the replacement is intended to raise capacity to about 400,000 gallons per minute. Construction work described includes installing 16-inch-diameter steel circular piles to form the foundation for a new pump station that will sit out in the detention basin. The presenter said crews are driving the piles to specification now and will later drill to a designated elevation, set reinforcing cages and pour concrete.
"There's 258 of them," the presenter said of the piles. After pile installation, crews will drill deeper, place reinforcement and fill with concrete to complete the foundation, the presenter said.
On cost and funding, the presenter estimated the project at upwards of $28 million and said multiple funding sources were applied for. Two large awards named were an Economic Development Administration grant and a FEMA grant "almost $16,000,000." The presenter clarified those awards are grants, "not like loans. Those are grants they're given and you don't pay them back," and said local sales-tax revenues are also part of the funding mix.
The presenter framed the timing as urgent given the changed runoff patterns and the need to prevent downtown flooding. No formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.
