Donohue & Associates and Jefferson City received an Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the Cole Junction Pump Station and Force Main project from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Missouri. The award recognizes outside the box thinking to find the right solution for increasing the capacity of the Cole Junction Pump Station, eliminating sanitary sewer overflows, and addressing force main deficiencies.

The obvious inclination was to use the existing route and upgrade existing infrastructure. The alternative to build a new force main and drill under the Missouri River and convey directly to the WWTP seemed a “wild” idea on the surface; however, after further evaluation it proved to be the most cost-effective plan.

By providing storage at the new pump station site necessitating a smaller pump station with smaller pumps it lowered the initial capital cost and future operating and maintenance costs. The smaller pump size also reduced the force main pipe size from 30” to 24” and the new force main route saved capital. The “right solution” solved the issues the City was facing and saved the City and ratepayers over $10M. The pump station can now handle flows up to 14,000 gallons per minute during a storm event.