Site work for a water / sewer project in Muscatine, Iowa. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

In October of 2017, a sewer leak was discovered in the 30" force main sewer between the Musser Park Lift Station and the Water Pollution Control Plant. The break was located at the intersection of Day, Birch, and Nebraska Streets. In order to assess the damage, the line had to be shut down and drained. This process required closing the pipe that flows from the Papoose Creek Lift Station. This pipe closing resulted in a direct discharge of sanitary sewer water to the Mississippi River at Papoose Creek. Due to the condition of the pipe at the break, staff’s experience with breakages of this type, and age of the pipe, the best repair option was to line the existing sewer pipe and this project was completed in the 2017/2018 fiscal year. While the existing force main has been repaired, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has mandated that the City construct a redundant line by 2026 to prevent future discharges to the Mississippi River. The engineering design for this project began in 2019/2020 and was completed in 2023/2024. Construction was originally scheduled for calendar year 2025 (fiscal years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026). This project has now been deferred to calendar year 2026. The City is awaiting notification of possible federal earmark funding for this project. If those funds are not awarded, State Revolving Loan funds will be used to finance this project. The 2026 construction schedule will still allow for construction to be completed by the mandated deadline. The 2025/2026 funding amount reflects the estimated project costs before the end of the fiscal year; the balance of the project costs will be in fiscal year 2026/2027.. The project is included in the City's 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). As of September 26, 2025, further details have not yet been identified. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.