Designing and constructing a stormwater tank and pump station within a vulnerable Cambridge neighborhood to mitigate climate change impacts

The Port Infrastructure Project - PL6 Stormwater Tank and Pump Station

Faced with increasingly more severe impacts from climate change, particularly in their flood-prone neighborhood of The Port, the City of Cambridge is taking proactive steps to update its infrastructure. As part of their $100 million project to improve infrastructure in The Port, the City engaged our team to provide design services for a new underground stormwater tank and pump station at City Parking Lot 6 (PL6).

We designed a cast-in-place concrete storage tank and submersible pumping station to significantly reduce flooding and sewage backups in nearby residential and commercial properties. Our services also included micro-tunneling through four force mains under an active subway line to transfer the stored water in The Port area to the Charles River.

Now complete, the tank and pump station hold stormwater during high-intensity storms, providing increased flood protection for The Port. Following the successful completion of Phase 1 at PL6, the City has engaged us to provide similar services for the remaining project phases.