Sanitary Sewer

Gravity sewer provides for both existing and future development
Sioux City’s Southeast Morningside Sanitary Sewer
Project Owner:
City of Sioux City, IA
Key Experience:
- Lift station improvements
- Large diameter sewer design
- Gravity siphon design
- Directional bore sewer installation
- Low water crossing
Key Features:
- 10,069 linear feet of 24” and 30” gravity sewer
- 4,628 feet of twin 10” force main
- VFD pump controls
- Flow meter installation
The City of Sioux City had been seeing residential development on the east side of the city in the area of Whispering Creek Golf Course. The hilly terrain, however, limited the area that could be served by the existing sanitary sewer lift station on Whispering Creek Drive. This lift station was also experiencing problems due to the limited capacity of the gravity sanitary sewer to which the force main from the lift station was discharging.
DGR Engineering (DGR) worked with the city to develop a plan for a new gravity sanitary sewer that would open up additional development area as well as provide adequate capacity for discharges from the Whispering Creek sanitary sewer lift station.
In the early 1990’s DGR designed the Southeast Morningside sanitary sewer lift station in the southeast corner of the city. The location of this new Southeast Morningside Lift Station allowed for gravity sewer service to area which is now home to the Sunnybrook Plaza, Sunnybook Village and Lakeport Commons commercial areas in the southeast corner of town and was also designed to provide addition future capacity though pump upgrades to serve additional residential development including the area where the city was seeing growth.


The final plan included over 10,000 feet of 24” and 30” gravity sanitary sewer starting at the Southeast Morningside Lift Station and running south and east along an existing drainage way and then north in an abandoned railroad right of way to Old Highway 141. The gravity sewer continues north through portions of the new Eagle Ridge and Whispering View Subdivisions. An inverted siphon was required for the crossing of the existing creek just south of the Southeast Morningside Lift Station. A granular access road was constructed along much of the gravity sewer to provide maintenance access. A low water crossing was installed at the creek in one location as an alternative to much more expensive box culvert or bridge options.
The upper end of the gravity sewer serves as the discharge point for twin 10” force mains (one for current conditions with a second for future development) from the Whispering Creek Lift Station.
The force mains run along portions of the Whispering Creek Golf Course and cross under holes 1 and 9 requiring a 1,000 foot long directional bore.
The Whispering Creek Lift Station was retrofitted with VFP pump controls to reduce operating cost and better match the pump output to existing and future flows. A flow meter was also installed in a vault downstream from the lift station to meet current IDNR requirements.
The new gravity sewer is already being utilized by several new additions to the Whispering View Subdivision and the initial phase of the Eagle Ridge Subdivision.
Funding for the project included the use of state Revolving Loan funds to be repaid with future sanitary sewer service area fees.
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