Upgrade of West Side Lift Station/River Crossing

City of Wisconsin Rapids 
Wastewater Department 
2540 1st St. S.
​Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495

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April 23, 2018
Contact: Ryan Giefer
Phone: 715-421-8287
​E-mail: rgiefer@wirapids.org

City of Wisconsin Rapids to begin upgrade of West Side Lift Station/River Crossing April 23, 2018 – The Wisconsin Rapids Wastewater Department begins construction next month on the City’s new West Side Lift Station and the river crossing force main. The lift station, located at 1911 Gaynor Avenue, pumps sewage to processing sites and serves the wastewater needs of the entire west side of the City, processing more than 1.5 million gallons of wastewater per day.

Key lift station upgrades will include: four pumps to provide redundancy in the event of a pump failure, new backup power generation; and five times more wet-well storage capacity than previously available to prevent backups in the event of a failure. The wastewater lift station facility pumps wastewater to processing sites at higher elevation, but without the excessive excavation depths and high sewer construction costs required by a traditional gravity conveyance.

The force main, which carries water, sewage and other materials, will be a deep-bed granite directional drilling project, placing the main under the riverbed without the need to dig trenches. This will avoid the need for costlier excavation equipment and trench shoring techniques.

The lift station was originally constructed as the City’s first wastewater treatment facility in 1936 and converted into a lift station in 1971. The lift station has reached the end of its service life, with outdated and inefficient electrical equipment, pumps and backup power generation, as well as an aged building that lacks up-to-date safety and access features. The pipe crossing under the Wisconsin River is also at the end of its service life, and has shown signs of deterioration.

The new overall infrastructure will result in life expectancies of 80-100 years for the river crossing force main, 50-80 years for the lift station structure and 20-40 years for lift station equipment; thus, providing reliable wastewater conveyance, while protecting the environment.

The City received funding for this reconstruction project through a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Clean Water Fund Loan, which includes $700,000 in principal forgiveness. The lift station contract was awarded to Miron Construction of Neenah, Wisconsin, for $2,508,752. The force main river crossing work was awarded to A1 Excavating of Bloomer, Wisconsin, for $3,996,882. City officials anticipated and included this project and its costs in the City’s 2016 wastewater rate study, identifying and spreading out the impacts on wastewater user rates.

Citizens seeking more information can call Wastewater Superintendent Ryan Giefer at 715-252-5123.
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CITY OF WISCONSIN RAPIDS TO BEGIN UPGRADE OF WEST SIDE LIFT STATION/RIVER CROSSING