Project Details

Banner worked with the city of Vermillion to evaluate multiple temporary methods to convey wastewater to the WWTF until the permanent forcemains could be constructed. The city used a short-term solution to convey wastewater across the river via a pipe supported by a suspension bridge. This short-term solution was only suitable for temperatures above freezing, and a permanent solution was needed prior to winter weather.

Banner worked with the city to design, bid, and provide construction administration and observation services, resulting in the installation of three new forcemains approximately 3.5 months after the loss of the original forcemains. Banner minimized the design, bid, and construction durations through several methodologies, ensuring construction was completed quickly.

To provide status updates and discuss incident responses, we worked alongside the city, DANR, and others. Our surveying team assessed the land near the river for the city’s purchase, and other team members worked with WWTF staff to mitigate the effects of the loss of flow on the WWTF's biological processes while the temporary solution was being constructed.

The new forcemains were horizontally directionally drilled deeper below the river and farther from the river's edge than the original forcemains to provide greater resilience against future riverbed erosion. The work also included trench-installed forcemain headers on either side of the river to allow for redundancy between the forcemains. Finally, the work included plans to connect to future infrastructure at the WWTF to the proposed forcemain.