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Council asked to pick level of flood protection for North Fifth lift station; options range from $250,000 flood wall to $750,000 relocation
Summary
Public works presented three options to address flood vulnerability at the North Fifth wastewater lift station: do minimal work, build a removable flood wall (~$250,000) or relocate equipment to higher ground (~$750,000); staff asked council which protection level to pursue and how to fund it.
Public works staff told the council that the North Fifth wastewater lift station — which serves roughly 30% of the community — went underwater during the most recent extreme flood and remains vulnerable to future floods. The department presented three paths forward and asked the council to direct the level of protection and funding approach.
Public works described the options as: (a) do minimal work (no new flood protection), (b) build a flood wall with removable gates and related access improvements (rough estimate $250,000), or (c) relocate pumps and equipment to higher ground a few hundred feet west (comprehensive solution, roughly $750,000). Staff emphasized the trade‑off between cost and level of protection: moving equipment is more expensive but reduces the chance of repeated service outages.
"At some point I'm going to need direction from the council as to what level of protection we are going to offer going forward," the wastewater lead said, presenting the numbers and noting that relocation would provide the highest customer protection but at the greatest expense.
Staff also raised broader capacity issues in the pipeline feeding the lift station: some sections are near capacity and growth on the east side would likely require upsizing pipe segments (an add‑on that could raise the project cost materially). Staff suggested a combination (relocation plus upsized pipeline) would be a separate, larger option and recommended discussing whether to bond some portion of the project or use wastewater reserves; they noted roughly 30% of a high‑cost scenario had already been folded into planning as a potential bonded share.
Why it matters: The lift station serves a large portion of the community and repeated flooding would have direct public‑health and service consequences; the decision requires balancing resilience, rate impacts and financing strategy.
What’s next: Staff asked council direction on the desired protection level and whether to use wastewater reserves, bond the balance, or pursue staged improvements tied to growth and funding availability.
