Sunrise Pump Station

Located adjacent to the Ohio River, the Sunrise Pump Station not only has an essential utility purpose but also serves as a public destination point for the City of Evansville. The facility has the capability of pumping up to 40 million gallons of treated water daily from the City’s wastewater treatment plant back into the Ohio River. Because of this necessary adjacency to the river, the site and facility offer several opportunities for public use and engagement. The 45,410 square foot facility has a 4,912 square foot Event Space on the first floor that can be used for public meetings and events as well as an 8,890 square foot Roof Plaza where the public can enjoy panoramic views of the Ohio River and downtown Evansville. The facility also offers the public the opportunity to observe wastewater testing in the Treatment Lab and of the four pumps located in the Dry Well 28’ below ground responsible for pumping the treated water back to the Ohio River. In addition to the public amenities located within the facility, the 10.91 acre site also offers the public the opportunity to view the release of the treated water from the Cascade Overlook back into the river through the Cascade Outfall and enjoy views of the river and downtown Evansville from swing structures and benches located at the Levee Plaza. One of the major challenges the project posed is how the treated water is returned to the Ohio River. The City of Evansville is protected from Ohio River flooding by a levee. Maintaining the integrity of the levee was paramount so placing the outfall piping from the facility through or under the levee was not an option. The solution was to have the outfall piping set over the levee. This solution required the build up of earth on the city side of the levee to bury the outfall piping and the creation of a structure to bridge over the levee. This bridge structure became the Levee Plaza. The outfall piping runs up and over the levee, under the Levee Plaza and releases the treated water back to the Ohio River by the Cascade Outfall. The Cascade Outfall provides a controlled release of the treated water to prevent erosion on the bank of the Ohio River. One of the unique features located in front of the facility is the wetland gardens. These wetland gardens are fed from the collection of rainwater from the Roof Plaza of the facility. Elevated pavers allow rainwater to reach roof drains connected to piping inside the columns on each side of the main building entrance. These pipes spill into collection ponds that then distribute the rainwater to multi-tiered wetland planting beds.