As the City engineer for the City of Madison Lake, I&S conducted an analysis of the City’s wastewater treatment options. This analysis concluded, and a number of public meetings confirmed that the preferred solution was regionalization, rather than expansion of the City’s existing treatment plant or construction of a new plant.
The Madison Lake City Council authorized I&S to coordinate with the City of Mankato and Blue Earth County to facilitate implementation of the plan. An agreement was reached with the City of Mankato for the design and construction of the lift station and forcemain, and the treatment of Madison Lake’s sanitary sewer flows.
In addition to coordination with the City of Mankato and Blue Earth County, a large unincorporated area around three regional lakes wished to pursue the option of forming a sanitary sewer district and participating in the construction of the regional forcemain. Many challenges were worked through to accomplish this, resulting in a project that not only serves the City of Madison Lake, but also will provide a sanitary sewer outlet for over 400 lake homes, many that have vulnerable individual treatment systems.
Key elements of the design include nearly five miles of forcemain, a regional lift station, decommissioning of the existing wastewater treatment plant, and modifications to the existing sanitary sewer collection system. By strategically modifying the existing system, flow was diverted from pipes that were functioning at or near capacity, allowing the City to prolong the lifespan of these facilities.
