Kuehl and Payer, Ltd. Engineering in Storm Lake, Sac City and Algona Iowa

AMU Storm Water Management Alta, Iowa

The Challenge

In 2006, the City of Alta began development of the new AMU Commercial Subdivision and needed to address storm water management for 79 acres of urban runoff that would drain from the City of Alta through the proposed subdivision. Since runoff from this area eventually drains to Storm Lake, which is a protected water resource, implementing water quality and pollution controls in addition to general flood control management were necessary considerations.

 

The KPL Solution

The Alta City Council hired Kuehl & Payer, Ltd. to perform a drainage study and prepare a storm water management plan for the AMU Commercial Subdivision. Kuehl & Payer’s design utilized two detention basins to reduce the peak flows from urban runoff to pre-development conditions. Each basin was designed with two functions: to reduce the peak discharge flows, and to improve water quality of the runoff through infiltration. The basins utilize a subsurface infiltration trench tile which filters water through various levels of aggregate material to control sediment and other storm water pollutants. The outlet for these basins was an inadequate sized drainage district tile system. Working with the City Counsel as Trustees for the District, a new subsurface outlet was sized, designed, and constructed for this district and storm water management system.

 

Results and Benefits

The reduced peak discharges from this subdivision controls erosion on the downstream agricultural land. The infiltration features designed into the basins captures pollutants commonly associated with urban storm water runoff. The Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board awarded a $73,000 grant to assist in funding the project, and Kuehl & Payer, Ltd. was presented a water quality award at the Iowa Water Conference for this project.

 

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