Sioux Falls Water Purification Plant Filter Expansion

The City of Sioux Falls Water Purification Plant (WPP) provides potable water for the greater Sioux Falls metro area. Master planning by previous consultants revealed a need for increased capacity to meet future water demands. Several “bottlenecks” were identified within the WPP treatment processes, and one of the most critical was the filtration process.

The project exemplifies the great results that can be expected when engineers listen to the end users of the facilities they design. It’s often the “little things” that make a design great. The project design team spent many hours with plant operators. As a result, they incorporated many small touches into the design that make the new filtration addition a safe, easy and enjoyable place to work.

The project expanded the plant’s filtration capacity from 54 to 75 million gallons per day by adding five new filters inside a new building addition. In addition, the project included a new underground 400,000-gallon backwash basin and associated pumps, piping and controls.

The project’s benefits to the City of Sioux Falls include:

1. Increased ability to recycle backwash water, which reduces demand on the Big Sioux River and local aquifers
2. Increased backwashing flexibility to help plant operators keep up with periods of high water demand

Change orders during construction amounted to less than 0.1% of the project’s cost, and the project was delivered well within budget. The project was constructed predominantly by local contractors, contributing to the economic vitality of the community.