Turning a soccer stadium into one of the state’s largest water reuse systems
When driving along Interstate 94, it’s hard to miss Allianz Field rising over the horizon. The future home of the Minnesota United Football Club, the state’s Major League Soccer team, is nearly complete. Although impressive from the exterior, beneath the surface of the field lies a regional planning initiative that has the potential to become one of the largest water reuse systems in Minnesota.
In 2017, our team of water resource professionals were hired by the City of Saint Paul to assist with the technical design review and construction inspection for the 35-acre redevelopment site. Shortly after, our team joined a technical review team along with St. Paul Sewers, the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, Capital Regional Watershed District, Mortenson and several subcontractors, engineers and architects. The technical review team worked together to provide quality assurance reviews of plans and identified and addressed potential operation and maintenance concerns.
Constructed on a blighted site of a former bus barn, the stadium is uniquely designed as a shared, stacked green infrastructure water reuse facility that will eventually provide water to the surrounding area. Future plans for the site include development opportunities for commercial, retail, office and housing space.
The stormwater management component of the project is being funded through a public-private partnership. Similar stormwater management systems have been implemented at Target Field, CHS Field and the Minneapolis Convention Center, but this unique system will collect roof runoff from several parcels throughout the area. Once collected, the runoff will be stored, treated and reused through the stormwater system.
Beneath the Allianz Field parking lot lies four underground storage tanks, three dedicated to rate control and treatment and one dedicated to stormwater reuse. The stormwater reuse tank is actually a 90,000-cubic-foot Steel Reinforced Polyethylene (SRPE) pipe. It supports the deep bury conditions present and was welded on site to ensure a watertight seal. The system also includes several pumps, filters, ultraviolet and ozone treatment components.
The $250 million Allianz Field is scheduled to be completed in 2019. The redevelopment of the once contaminated site will spur economic momentum in the area.