3 Important Lessons on Upgrading Community Development: The Role of Lift Stations

Why do communities need lift stations?

Because gravity cannot always get sewage to the plant. A lift station collects wastewater in a wet well and pumps it to a higher point, where it can flow on by gravity or through a force main.

Flat ground, hills and low spots all create the need. Our Lift Stations 101 episode for community developers covers where they fit and the O&M details that are easy to miss.

What should a lift station O&M plan cover?

Who runs the station, what they check, and what they do when it fails. EPA's CMOM guide for sanitary sewer collection systems says the O&M manual should hold written procedures for these questions:

• Are pumps rotated manually or automatically, and how often?
• Are wet well levels set to limit pump starts and stops?
• How are pumps run during wet weather?
• Is flow monitored, and how is the data used?
• Has the station overflowed, from capacity or from maintenance problems?
• Is there a history of power outages, and is the generator exercised under load?

Staffing is part of the plan. In Texas, 30 TAC §30.350(n) requires a classified collection system to have at least one licensed operator. Its operation and maintenance must be supervised and inspected daily by a licensed operator on site.

What does a routine lift station inspection check?

The same short list every visit, logged at the station. The CMOM guide puts inspection frequency anywhere from once a week, for a reliable station with telemetry, to continuous staffing at a large one.

A basic inspection confirms that:

• alarms work;
• wet well levels are set correctly;
• indicator lights and voltage readings are within limits;
• suction and discharge pressures are normal;
• pumps run without excess heat or vibration, with the right lubrication;
• the emergency generator is ready.

Less often, the crew adds vibration analysis and internal pump inspections. The guide also lists signs of poor maintenance, including excessive grease in the wet well and heavy corrosion on railings, ladders and other metal.

What has to happen when the power or a pump fails?

The station must keep sewage in the pipe and tell someone right away. Both Texas and Colorado write this into their design rules, so the O&M plan has to keep those systems working.

In Texas, 30 TAC §217.63 requires:

• a sign with the facility name and a 24-hour emergency contact;
• an alarm for power outages, pump failures and high water, sent to a continuously monitored location by auto-dialer, SCADA or telemetry;
• a way to prevent discharge during a power failure, sized for the longest outage on record in the past 60 months or 20 minutes, whichever is longer.

Colorado's Design Criteria for Domestic Wastewater Treatment Works, WPC-DR-1, Chapter 4, asks for the same alarm conditions, an alternate power source and emergency storage. It requires at least two pumps, with enough capacity to hold the wet well below the alarm level at peak flow with the largest pump out of service.

That last rule is why a broken pump is urgent. The CMOM guide notes a station may run with one pump out, but a second failure at peak flow can become critical.

How long does each lift station component last?

Use the manufacturer's figure first, then a planning table. TCEQ's asset management workbook for small systems lists expected useful lives for standard equipment:

• pumps: 10 to 15 years;
• electrical systems: 7 to 10 years;
• generators: 10 to 20 years;
• valves: 35 to 40 years;
• buildings: about 30 years.

The table was written for small public water systems, but the same equipment sits in a lift station. It has no line for a wet well or force main. Their life depends heavily on corrosion, and WPC-DR-1 asks force main designs to evaluate hydrogen sulfide generation and odor control.

When should you budget for lift station replacement?

When the remaining life runs short, and sooner when maintenance history says so. TCEQ's workbook gives a simple method:

1. List each component with its install year.
2. Subtract its age from its expected useful life to get the remaining life.
3. Add the remaining life to this year to get the replacement year.
4. Rank each component from 1 to 5, weighing how critical it is, its remaining life, backup equipment and maintenance history.

The workbook says to reevaluate the plan every year. A pump that needs constant repair moves up the list even if its age says it has years left.

What should a developer hand the utility with a new lift station?

Everything the operator needs to run it on day one. EPA's Asset Management 101 guide says new assets should go into the utility's inventory at handover from the engineers, and a contract can require the asset information in a usable form.

A practical handover package includes:

• an asset list with make, model, install date and expected life for each pump, panel, generator and valve;
• the O&M manual with the written procedures above;
• alarm and telemetry settings, with the contact list;
• pump curves and the system curves the station was designed to, as in our walkthrough of force main and pump sizing calculations.

Is your lift station ready for its next failure?

Answer each question yes or no. Any no belongs in this year's work plan.

1. Does the O&M manual include written pump, wet well and wet weather procedures?
2. Is the station inspected on a set schedule, with a log at the station?
3. Did the alarm reach a person the last time it was tested?
4. Has the generator run under load recently?
5. Can the station handle peak flow with its largest pump out of service?
6. Does every pump, panel and generator have an install date and replacement year?

Then ask your engineer: Which part of this station fails next? What is our plan if two pumps go down at once?

A note on limits: this is general education on Texas and Colorado rules and EPA and TCEQ guidance as of October 2026. Useful lives are planning ranges, not guarantees, and your permit or utility may set stricter terms.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a lift station be inspected?

EPA's CMOM guide gives a range from once a week, for a reliable station with telemetry, to continuous staffing at a large station. In Texas, a classified collection system's O&M is supervised and inspected daily by a licensed operator.

How long do lift station pumps last?

About 10 to 15 years, per TCEQ's planning table, unless the manufacturer gives a different figure. Maintenance history matters more than age.

I'm a developer in Texas turning a new subdivision lift station over to the local utility. What will they ask for at handover?

Expect requests for the O&M manual, the alarm and telemetry setup, pump and system curves, and an asset list they can load into their inventory. Confirm that the alarm reaches their monitored location and that the emergency discharge prevention meets 30 TAC §217.63.

I manage public works for a small Colorado town with three old lift stations and almost no maintenance records. Where do we start?

Start an inspection log now, using the CMOM checklist, and record each component's install date or best estimate. Then rank the stations by how critical they are and whether each one can carry peak flow with its largest pump out of service.

Related resources

• Lift Stations and Collection Systems: What the Plant Needs Upstream to Function Properly
• When Lift Station Force Mains Fail: Your Colorado Community’s CIPP Solution
• Emergency Bypass and Backup Power Requirements for Package Plants: What TCEQ Requires for Reliability During Outages
• Lift Station Design in Houston’s High Groundwater Zones: Why Standard Specs Fail in Clay-Heavy Soils

Planning lift station upgrades or a handover?

MES designs lift stations in Texas and Colorado with the operator in mind, from sizing and alarms to backup power and the handover package.

We specialize in:

• Lift station and force main design
• Collection system design
• Condition studies and capital improvement planning
• Funding-ready engineering reports for SRF and grant programs
• Construction administration

Modern Engineering Solutions, McKinney, Texas. Contact: (214) 833-6748 or mod-eng.com