The City of Bison proactively sought improvements to its existing wastewater treatment facility. It was becoming non-compliant with their discharge permit, and the earthen berms of their lagoon system were suffering severe erosion. The City contracted BG Consultants to develop a preliminary engineering report and design wastewater treatment facility improvements. The City applied for and was awarded funding through the USDA Rural Development and CDBG Block Grant programs.

The new design expanded the facility and converted their existing two-cell lagoon to a new non-discharging lagoon.  During the design of the Bison plant, BG closely scrutinized wastewater flows and in-situ soil parameters so the lagoon would not be oversized for a community with small potential growth. To account for future demand and wetter weather patterns, the lagoon was designed and permitted so the City could utilize irrigation if needed. These design considerations kept project costs under budget and affordable for the citizens of Bison.

Improvements included removing an interior berm of the existing 2-cell system, reinforcing failing exterior earthen dikes, adding an additional cell, removing the attached Imhoff tank from a dry pit submersible pump station, and upgrading pumps, piping, and electrical in the existing pump station.