Sioux Center has completed a major overhaul of the water infrastructure running beneath Highway 75, replacing original piping with modernized, higher capacity lines.
The upgrades fix severe issues caused by decades of local development and growth. Before the project, the corridor relied on single four-inch cast iron pipes, some over 80 years old, that were no longer adequate for the town’s growing needs.
According to Harlan Kruid, Head of Sioux Center Water Development, combining the utility upgrades with ongoing highway construction was the most cost-effective strategy.
“Main reason was age. Some of those pipes were original to the community very, very old, very undersized for the community since we’ve had so much growth. So yeah, when the highway was tore up is the time to, to do that so that you don’t have the expense of doing it later on. So it made perfect sense to upgrade the materials and the sizes while we had the road out.”
Enhanced Capacity and Fire Protection
The new system retains the same service area and customer base but dramatically increases water volume and delivery speed. Contractors installed eight-inch PVC pipes along both sides of the highway. Replacing four-inch iron with dual eight-inch PVC lines allows water to move through the center of town much faster while drastically improving fire suppression capabilities for nearby properties.
“We went from old cast iron mains that were eighty plus years old to eight inch pipes on both sides of the road for most of the highway. And they’re made of PVC so we can carry water through the center of town much quicker. The, fire suppression of the area there is much, much better because of two eight inch pipes versus one four inch pipe.”
Easier Repairs
Beyond capacity gains, the updated design is easier to upgrade. Because the original mains sat directly underneath active lanes of traffic, simple repairs or new line hookups needed street closures. The new PVC mains have been relocated behind the curb line along most of the highway so the road doesn’t have to be torn up to work on the new water system.
“The old four inch main was underneath the lane of traffic. So you had to shut the highway down, dig your hole, and then pour concrete back in so you’d have a lane closure for, you know, a week plus just if somebody wanted to hook up a new line or somebody had a leaking line, the new pipes are all behind the curb for the majority of them. So you don’t have to close down any highway. If somebody wants a bigger new service to their place we’re not disrupting traffic.”
New Water Tower
The Highway 75 improvements are part of broader capital efforts to modernize Sioux Center’s municipal utilities. Kruid noted the city’s next major water infrastructure project is a new 1 million gallon water tower on the south side of town, with construction slated to begin this fall.
