Council approves property acquisition and improvements for Lift Station 20 to expand capacity and cut odors

The Noblesville City Council on May 12 approved Resolution RC‑19‑26 to begin property acquisition and design work for improvements to Lift Station 20, a project officials say will expand capacity, reduce odor issues and free capacity at downstream stations.

City Attorney Jonathan Hughes and Director of Utilities Jonathan Murgot described the project as a roughly three‑mile force main to re‑route flows east to the wastewater treatment plant, with much of the installation to be completed by FA Wilhelm Construction using directional drilling to limit surface impacts. Murgot said the new force main will increase capacity in the corridor and relieve pressure at an overloaded upstream station.

Murgot described odor controls tied to the project: installing an on‑site odor control facility at Lift Station 20 and adding odor control at the wastewater treatment plant’s headworks as part of related work. He said the new route and odor controls are expected to "reduce if you're ever out at Trinity Sports Park... the odors there," noting the sequence of lift stations has been a primary source of the local hydrogen sulfide smell.

On technical sizing, Murgot said the existing force main is 16 inches in diameter and the proposed new main is 24 inches, which materially increases capacity. Councilors asked whether the work would require a rate increase; Murgot said the project was included in the 20‑year rate forecast that underpinned the prior rate increase and that no immediate rate increase is planned.

Council moved and approved Resolution RC‑19‑26 by hand vote, recorded 7‑0.