Expanding Wet Weather Storage to Strengthen Neighborhood Resiliency
Tighe & Bond partnered with the City of Lowell and Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility to design the Douglas Road CSO Storage Facility, supporting the City’s long-term efforts to reduce combined sewer overflows and recurring sewer surcharging. The facility provides additional capacity to manage wet weather flows, helping protect homes and businesses in the Belvidere neighborhood from sewer backups and flooding.
Our team evaluated the feasibility of locating the storage tank east of Douglas Road, including whether it could fill and discharge by gravity without adversely affecting upstream customers. The project addresses recurring surcharging in the Wentworth-Douglas area and targets CSO discharges at the Barasford-Merrimack Station.
The design features a 1.6-million-gallon underground tank divided into five chambers. Combined stormwater and wastewater passively enter the tank when flows rise above a weir wall, providing temporary storage until treatment capacity becomes available. Flushing chambers clean the tank floor after emptying, while integration with the City’s existing SCADA system enables remote operation. A weatherproof electrical enclosure and site lighting support facility operations.
Project planning accounted for continued public access to Cawley Stadium and coordination with utility providers during construction. Following construction, the area above the buried tank will be paved and returned to stadium parking. The facility supports more resilient wastewater infrastructure while preserving an existing community use.
