Bidding Process to Begin on Airport Wastewater System

Dec. 21—Rapid City Regional Airport is preparing to solicit bids to construct a new sanitary sewer collection system to replace the outdated sewage lagoon that has caused environmental concerns in the past.

The estimated $2.5 million project would build a new gravity sewer line from the airport's main collection system to carry wastewater to the city's Water Reclamation Facility. It includes 4,820 feet of eight-inch piping that will travel along Airport Road to a new lift station. The lift station would then send the wastewater through another 12,200 feet of four-inch pipe west along State Highway 79, where it would connect to the city's existing sewer infrastructure.

Airport Executive Director Patrick Dame said Tuesday that bids should be opened by Jan. 27 and anticipates the new sewer system will be completed in November 2022.

"We will have some easements that will have to be purchased, and after the first of the year will get those easements taken care of," he said. "That will allow us to dig in some portions of the right-of-way. Hopefully, that should be moving ahead pretty quick."

The 1960s-era lagoon is too small to serve the airport during the peak travel season and does not have the capacity to serve in the future.

During the summer of 2019, the airport had to spread approximately 74,100 gallons of sewage on the northern end of the property. That emergency discharge was done without proper permitting from the then-named South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Although the state agency later found that no contamination was caused by the emergency discharge, it brought the lagoon's age and limitations to light and airport administration began studying how to fix the capacity issue in the long term.

A 2020 Environmental Assessment indicated connecting the airport's collection system with the city's wastewater network was the preferred option over constructing a new aerated lagoon.

During the summer peak travel season, the airport had to pay a company thousands of dollars to pump out the lagoon because of capacity issues again.

In other business Tuesday, the Airport Board of Directors approved new policies and procedures for ground transportation companies that service the airport after the Rapid City Council approved new rates and charges during a Monday meeting.

The policy includes an annual operator permit fee of $200 for companies that pick up and drop off riders. The annual fee will be delayed until 2023 to allow operators time to prepare.

There would also be new charges based on the size and types of vehicles, which would go into effect on April 1. For airport shuttles, taxis and limousines operators that seat one to eight people, the fee would be $2 per one-way trip. Larger vehicles that seat between nine and 15 people would be charged $4 for a one-way trip. Companies that operate vehicles seating 16 or more passengers would be charged $1.50 per person.

Rideshare companies, such as Lyft and Uber, would be assessed a fee of $2 per one-way trip. Peer-to-peer car sharing companies, such as Turo, would be charged a fee of 6% of gross revenue.

The policies outlined an application and permitting process for a new ground transportation center island that will be established in outside lanes of the drive in front of the terminal building.

Dame said Airport Express Shuttle is the only company that has paid to use airport facilities in the past and other shuttle, bus, taxi, limo and ride-share programs have not. Dame said there were some issues with other ground transportation companies that were realized during the 2021 summer season and the move to establish a set policy is necessary to level the playing field.

"We have actually been working on this over the last four to five years," Dame said. "This past summer has really driven a need to put something in place here and get some regulation to what's going on between the businesses operators in the field.

"Airport Express Shuttle is the only one contributing to partner and pay the airport... They are the only ones who are contributing to the costs at the airport. The other businesses that are doing business out here are not," he said.

Contact Nathan Thompson at [email protected].

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