Jeff Keller with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Williston said a new pumping station is being built to compliment the current one. The purpose is to improve the capacity of water that is pumped away from the city and into the Missouri River.
Keller said the existing pump is in decent working order, but it is getting older and the need for increased capacity is becoming more urgent.
"We have an existing pump that was built in 1961 to deal with all the drainage and runoff," said Keller.
The current pumping station has a capacity to pump 75,000 gallons per minute. The new station is to have the same capacity. The project is being done by Construction Engineering of Grand Forks and is to look similar to the current station when completed. The new pumping station is to have about 200 feet of discharge tube that is 36 inches in diameter that goes underground. A difference between the new and old station is the new station is to have metal sides where the tube comes out on the Missouri River side. The old station has concrete sides surrounding its tubing.
As the city of Williston has grown and the amount of infrastructure has increased, the ability for the current pump to keep up with the drainage and runoff has diminished.
"We are a growing city with lots of need for further capacity. The city has grown and we did not grow along with it," said Keller.
Keller said the problem of not having adequate infrastructure for pumping runoff water from the city had been considered for years. He said a study was conducted that showed improvements were needed.
Keller said before the study was conducted, there were times when the amount of water was such that it came up as high as the ground of the station itself.
"The current station could no longer meet demand. After the study, they determined it was necessary," said Keller.
Keller said the city tried to find a way to get funding for the project after the study's conclusions were revealed. He said the city approached Sen. Byron Dorgan's office about funding.
"Sen. Dorgan appropriated the funds, about $2.5 million. It was federal stimulus money," said Keller.
Keller said work began on the pumping station about a month ago. He said initial work has consisted of doing some silt piling. Keller said the goal is to get as much work as possible done before winter weather arrives and work has to be stopped. Construction is tentatively set to be completed by summer 2010.
Keller said so far, the project is going according to schedule, but that could always change if there is a long, drawn out winter as there was this past year.
"It depends on the winter. We'll have to wait until the weather clears in the spring, however long it takes," said Keller.
Keller said the project is very beneficial and important to Williston in the long run. With the population growing due to the oil activity in the area, there is a need to keep water from accumulating.
"The addition of this pumping station is essential to the growth of the community. This community will continue to grow for some time," said Keller.
Keller said one factor that was observed that led to the study was the amount of construction projects, new buildings and parking lots being built in recent years. He said with these additional structures, there is far more runoff and it was beginning to back up. Keller said with the continuing boom in construction, the amount of runoff is sure to increase.
"There will be more people with more buildings and parking lots; there will be nowhere for runoff to go unless it can be taken care of properly. It is essential to have for future development," said Keller.
Keller said with the new station there also is a need to have some extra temporary help during the peak season to operate and maintain the station. Peak time during the year is in the spring and summer.
The need stems from pumping away the extra water from melting snow and ice in the spring months and from thunderstorms in the summer.
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