Storm Lake begins Ice House lift station work, Vista Drive closing

Storm Lake will close Vista Drive to through traffic Monday, July 6, when work begins at the Ice House lift station site on the southwest portion of the road. The bike path will stay open while crews work around the sewer project.

Before digging starts, the contractor is coordinating with MidAmerican Energy to reroute electrical lines. After that, crews will install new manholes and pumps, then excavate and remove the old lift station.

The Ice House site is part of Storm Lake’s wastewater infrastructure mitigation project in the Vista Drive area. The new lift stations will improve sanitary sewer capacity and help prevent loss of service during flood hazards. Bolton & Menk’s project overview replaces both the Scout Park sewer lift station and the Ice House sewer lift station on the southwest portion of Vista Drive, with lane shifts and closures planned for portions of Lighthouse Drive and Vista Drive during construction.

Storm Lake currently operates 21 lift stations, with pumps ranging from 10 horsepower to 300 horsepower, and its wastewater plant handles an average daily flow of 2 million gallons.

The Ice House work follows the City Council’s approval of $6.4 million in contracts in 2024 for a new well and two wastewater lift stations. King Construction of Wall Lake was the low bidder for the job, and the lift stations portion of the contract was $4,029,188. City Manager Keri Navratil said the repairs and reconstruction would ensure wastewater is removed from homes connected to the lift stations, while Public Works Director Matt Beckman said the project would strengthen the resiliency and sustainability of critical infrastructure.