Lift Station E (Ranch Road) Reconstruction

Lift Station E (Ranch Road) Reconstruction

This webpage will be updated regularly as the project moves through design and into construction. Residents and interested parties should check back regularly for project updates.

In May 2024, the Sewer Utility District Commission (SUDC) authorized 2010 Ranch Road as the location for the construction of a new Lift Station E. Once in operation, the existing Lift Station E will be decommissioned.

Current Efforts

Tentative Schedule for on site work (all work is weather permitting):

July 16/17: Intertek PSI - geotechnical

July 18/19: Wetland & Waterway Consulting - wetland delineation/determination

July 22: Ayres - site survey

Initial Site Development

To proceed with preliminary design on the new 2010 W Ranch Road site the following field work must be completed at the new site.

• Wetland survey – required to delineate any wet lands on the new site.

• Tree survey – required to identify the specimen trees located on the new site.

• Geotechnical survey – required to determine the soil conditions on the existing site for the design and construction of LS E, the sewers, the force mains and all site utilities.

• Utility locate – Diggers hotline will be notified to identify all utilities at the new site.

• Site survey – the property lines, existing structures, elevations, and all features identified in the above surveys will be located in this site survey.

The project team will be on site for multiple days. Please note that the utility locates will utilize a combination of small, different colored flags and spray paint to mark the utility locations. The boundary of the wetland and/or floodplain may also be marked with paint or flags. Those designations will be both within the property boundary at 2010 Ranch Road and adjacent lands, to ensure that the design team has the information necessary to proceed with design.

Please note that none of those are indicators of where the new lift station will be located. This process is part of the information gathering stage prior to the siting of the new lift station.

Project Scope

Please see the “Project History” section below for all of the efforts up until the current design efforts. The information below is more of an order of events than an actual schedule. As the design moves through the following critical milestones, the webpage will be updated with specific dates.

Evaluate Standby Power Alternatives

The design team will evaluate the two stand-by power alternatives:

• Single utility service with permanent backup power generator

• Two utility services with permanent backup power generator

This work is underway. No additional on-site work is expected to complete this task.

Preliminary Design for Public Comment

Utilizing the information obtained during the initial site development, develop a preliminary design including:

• Develop a preliminary site design

• Develop preliminary site landscape plan

• Revise preliminary Lift Station design to work with new site and to include a rest room for staff and recommended standby power alternative

• Develop and determine site preservation opportunities, including landscaping

• Develop preliminary renderings of the Lift Station including landscaping

Present to Mequon staff including engineering and Community Development and plan public information meeting

• Update plans and renderings for preliminary public informational meeting based on comments from Mequon staff meeting

Hold onsite Public Informational Meeting.

Public Comment

As noted, the preliminary design process will provide opportunities for public comment. As noted at the top of the page, questions or comments may be submitted informally at any time. At critical points during the preliminary design the City will coordinate for a public information meeting. At least one of those meetings will be on site to review the proposed location of the lift station, the landscaping intended to screen the lift station and the architecture of the lift station itself.

After the project transitions from design into construction, there will be another public information meeting to review the project schedule, discuss communication and coordination during construction, and expectations for the decommissioning of the existing lift station. If you would like to sign up to receive future communication regarding public information meetings, please click here and enter your information.

Preliminary Design for Planning Commission

Utilizing the input from onsite public information meeting, revise preliminary design for application to the Planning Commission for a conditional use grant:

• Develop preliminary erosion control plan

• Revise the preliminary site plan

• Revise the preliminary landscape plan

• Revise lift station elevations

• Revise preliminary renderings of the Lift Station including landscaping

Demolition of the Home at 2010 Ranch Road

Concurrent to the preliminary design process, the City will pursue the demolition of the home at 2010 Ranch Road. That process will include working with a charitable organization to reclaim any salvageable materials from the property. The City will also explore different options for demolition based on the final location/siting of the new lift station. The webpage will be updated as the process moves forward.

Easements and Legal Documents

Concurrent to the preliminary design process, the City will ensure that property use and ownership conforms to City ordinances, state statutes and any applicable HOA covenants. The City anticipates that the existing easement for the existing infrastructure and lift station will need to be modified, or potentially vacated and reestablished, to ensure proper rights to use of any non-City owned land. Likewise the City will pursue removal or amendments to the application of any HOA covenants on the property, including addressing payment of HOA dues.

Final Design

Utilizing the input from planning commission meeting, revise design to meet any Planning Commission approval requirements and develop final design documents:

• Submit plan and specifications to the Wisconsin DNR for plan review.

• Receive Wisconsin DNR plan approval.

• Publish final bidding documents.

Bidding

Post bid documents for bidding in early 2025:

• Bid Advertisement of Bid meeting Class 2 notice, two publications, under Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 985.

• Bid opening

• Recommendation of Award

• Sewer Utility District Commission recommendation and Common Council approval to award

• Notice of Award

Construction

• Notice to Proceed

• Pre-Construction Meeting

• Substantial Completion and startup of New Lift Station E mid-2026

• Final Completion late summer/early fall 2026

Project History

In spring 2020, the SUDC authorized a condition assessment for the sanitary lift station along Ranch Road, located west of Oriole Lane that is commonly referred to as "Lift Station E" (LS E). This assessment report was finalized in January 2021 with the recommendation to replace the station (the report is available under Supporting Documents below).

The Sewer Utility initiated a site selection process that resulted in a Common Council authorized resolution identifying and authorizing negotiations for easement or property acquisition on 8 parcels, including 2010 Ranch Road. For reference, that packet with multiple technical memorandums can be found here.

There were multiple public information meetings held at that time, as well as direct correspondence with the parcel owners (which included the HOA for the outlot) and a near negotiation for purchase with the owner of 2205 Ranch Court. Ultimately, negotiations were unsuccessful and in October 2022, the SUDC authorized the “current” design location at the end of Laguna Drive, along the bike path connection to Ranch Road. That packet can be referenced here.

Subsequently in March 2023, the SUDC and Common Council authorized a design contract for the new lift station. Please click here for that packet.

On March 1, 2024, City staff and the design team learned that the property at 2010 Ranch Road was available for purchase. The property is the ideal location for the new lift station, as it is immediately adjacent to the existing lift station. Reconstruction of the lift station at 2010 Ranch Road would not only reduce the project cost, but it would also minimize disruption during construction and reduce the number of newly impacted property owners. At the March 12, 2024, meeting, the Common Council authorized Resolution 4109: A Resolution Declaring the Necessity and Establishing the Relocation Order for the Relocation and Reconstruction of Sanitary Sewer Lift Station E and Authorizing the Purchase of the Property at 2010 West Ranch Road and that packet is available here. The purchase was followed by the designation of 2010 West Ranch Road as the location for the new lift station and that packet can be accessed here.

Project Q&A

As the project continues through design and to construction, additional questions and answers will be added to this section. If you have a question that you would like answered, please follow this link.

Why does the City need to build a new Lift Station?

Two primary reasons: the existing lift station does not have sufficient capacity during wet weather events and the infrastructure is beyond its life cycle. The new lift station will be able to handle larger flows, which should reduce the need to bypass pump and reduce the volume and frequency of basement backups. It will also ensure that the residents can be served far into the future. Please see the condition assessment and design report for additional information.

Why was the location changed to 2010 Ranch Road?

Please see the supporting documents and legislative history for a full analysis. The location at 2010 Ranch Road is immediately adjacent to the existing lift station, located within an easement on an outlot. The number of properties impacted by the relocation of the lift station is one less than currently impacted by the Laguna Drive, as the home at 2010 Ranch Road will be demolished. The design location at the end of Laguna Drive would have impacted a number of new property owners not currently impacted by the existing lift station. Summarily, the benefits to the 2010 Ranch Road location include:

Infrastructure cost savings estimated at $1,191,000
Same neighbors/adjacent properties as the existing lift station, minimizing the impact of the new station vs. the existing station.
Construction will be outside of the existing flood plain and wetlands.
The station will be outside of the current bike path. The construction will not disturb or interrupt the bike path’s use during or after construction.
The home’s existing well can be used as a source of water for the lift station. This will eliminate the need to haul water to the site.
Eliminates the need for closing West Ranch Road for construction of the connecting sewer.
Existing electrical and gas utilities are near the site.
Less disruption to the residents in the area.

When will construction start?

It is too early in the design to establish exact dates, so please continue to check back on this page for updates. It is anticipated that construction could start in spring 2025.