Irving’s wastewater is collected and transported to Trinity River Authority (TRA) facilities for treatment. Many of TRA’s wastewater pipes are located in the floodplain near the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, where stormwater can enter the system through damaged manholes and pipes.
In 2015, after excessive rainfall, flooding inundated TRA’s system, causing wastewater backups into Irving’s system. These backups over-pressurized Irving’s system, and as a result, pipes and manholes failed and sewage escaped.
The city determined that the best way to protect the system in the area was to build a new wastewater pump station — the Urban Center Lift Station — to prevent backups during future floods. Roughly one-third of the city’s wastewater will be collected and transferred to TRA’s system through the $13 million Urban Center Lift Station.
The project, which began in 2018, was originally anticipated to last 18 months, but significant rainfall halted construction for six months. The first phase of the project involved excavation and construction of the underground portion of the structure. Once that was completed, pipe installation began.
In order to make final pipe connections, wastewater will have to be diverted through temporary bypass facilities. These temporary facilities will require California Crossing Road, east of Riverside Drive, to be closed into the summer. The Urban Center Lift Station is expected to be in operation by fall 2020.
For updates, location maps and details about the pump station, visit CityofIrving.Maps.ARCGIS.com to view the story map.
For questions, contact the City of Irving Water Utilities Department at (972) 721-2281.
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