Center, ND – Wastewater Improvements Project

CHALLENGE

Center, ND’s lift station and wastewater lagoons, built in the 1970s, were facing significant issues. The oversized lagoons leaked into a nearby field and failed to properly treat water before it discharged into a local creek. Meanwhile, the lift station’s aging controls, pumps, and motors frequently malfunctioned, resulting in rising maintenance costs and decreasing reliability.

SOLUTION

Planning for the replacement of the lagoons and lift station began in 2020. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) awarded a Planning Assistance Reimbursement grant to support the project study, which led to additional funding applications to various organizations. Ultimately, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) provided the necessary construction funding. The project included reconstructing the wastewater treatment lagoons to ensure proper sizing, installing a new lift station and control system, and constructing a new force main to connect the lift station to the lagoons. The clay liner for the lagoon was sourced from the adjacent BNI Coal Mine. The lagoon system consists of three equally sized, three-acre cells, each five feet deep.

OUTCOME

After negotiating easements and sludge discharge locations with the adjacent landowner, the project commenced in 2023. Once construction of Cell 3 was completed, wastewater was routed into that cell, and work began on Cells 1 and 2. Sludge from the old Cell 1 was disposed of in a nearby cultivated field and tilled in. The remaining earthwork was completed in the spring of 2024, and the clay liner was installed in Cells 1 and 2 during the summer of 2024. The lift station became operational by September 2024, and all project components were ready for use by October 2024.