Being Texan means being neighborly. While this can apply to the people next door or down the street, it also describes the tradition of regional collaboration and cities working together to solve mutual issues. Recently, the North Texas Municipal Water District partnered with the City of Allen and the Town of Fairview to ensure the wastewater systems could keep up with the flow of progress.

Using gravity is the easiest and most cost-effective way to move wastewater from sewers to a treatment plant. But what happens when wastewater infrastructure is at a lower elevation than pipes in the area? That’s where lift stations and force mains become necessary and move wastewater uphill.

One such area is near the border between the City of Allen and the Town of Fairview. The proximity to major roads like US75 and Sam Rayburn Tollway (State Highway 121) makes the area ripe for residential, office and retail development, but the potential was unrealized without the infrastructure in place to handle the increased wastewater flows that come with progress.

Chris Flanigan, Director of Engineering for the City of Allen, knew that corner of Allen was slated for high-density, mixed-use development, but the low elevation of the land presented a challenge.

He reached out to NTMWD and James Chancellor, Engineer at the Town of Fairview, and asked if their nearby lift station could provide the capacity needed. 

However, Fairview was looking into upgrading or adding infrastructure of their own.

“Both the town of Fairview and Allen had a mutual need that transcended our boundaries,” he said. “Then it became kind of a regional consideration.  And so, from that point forward, James and I partnered on conversations with the District to see if the District would be willing to partner with us on a regional solution.”  

NTMWD was also experiencing capacity constraints with existing sewer pipes located along Cottonwood Creek in Allen. Diverting the new flows from future development into Fairview provided a benefit to the District by avoiding the cost of replacing pipes alongside the creek and in greenbelt areas.   

The solution was the Sloan Creek lift station and force main.

The City of Allen, Town of Fairview and North Texas Municipal Water District formed an interlocal agreement to build the new lift station and force main. The two cities agreed to fund the design and construction of the lift station, while NTMWD would fund the force main construction and design, as well as land acquisition costs.

Rodney Smith, NTMWD project engineer, described the project as a typical capital improvement project, as its major purpose is to accommodate the expected population growth in the area. But designing the Sloan Creek lift station in advance of the impending need meant it required more flexibility in how it handled wastewater flows. 

“We accounted for low flow and high flow conditions,” Smith said. “Generally, facilities like this are only built for high flows, but this design accommodates the pace of growth and development.”

The Sloan Creek lift station is an example of how regional infrastructure can benefit multiple cities and support the inevitable growth that is projected to continue.

“All three entities saved money in some way while enjoying the benefit of a single, large and robust solution,” Chancellor said. “It was a winning strategy for all parties involved.”