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MISSOULA’S WASTEWATER PLANT EVOLVES TO HANDLE INCREASED CAPACITY
https://missoulacurrent.com/missoula-wastewater-plant/
Hotdogs and burgers may be the meal of choice for University of Montana football fans. But with attendance at more than 25,000 for some home games, the crowds severely tested the city’s wastewater system until recent updates, according to city officials.
On average, wastewater flows to the university’s lift station peak at 100 gallons per minute. That number can rise to over 300 gallons per minute during football games, according to data from the city.
Missoula’s wastewater utility department realized that the pumps at the university’s lift station, which move wastewater from pipes deep in the ground to higher-elevation treatment sites, could not keep up with the deluge of sewage from the Washington-Grizzly Stadium. City workers also suspected that buildup in the stadium’s main sewer pipe was restricting the amount of wastewater that could flow through the system.
“The pumps weren’t pumping the amount of wastewater they should have been,” said Andy Schultz, an engineer for the city of Missoula. “We had people on call, monitoring the situation during games in case anything went wrong.”