Construction of the City Hall Biocell was completed in 2019, becoming the second established Biocell managed by the City of Muscatine's Stormwater Operations Division.
The cell was designed to address surface stormwater run-off from approximately 1.5 acres of the three acre impervious parking lot (Lot7) that empties, via storm sewer, into the Mississippi River. Design of the cell replaced the existing raised median with the installation of permeable pavers around the existing stormwater inlet.
The bio-cell channels stormwater through the permeable pavers or into a ponding area that will allow the removal of sediment, nitrates, phosphates, and other pollutants from the stormwater before proceeding into the storm sewer. The ponding area is also be home to several native plants that will also aid in the removal of pollutants from the stormwater. Similar plants were used as part of the Mississippi Drive Corridor Reconstruction Project and in the Sycamore Street Biocell.
The Biocell will also help alleviate the recurring issues of standing water and flooding of the parking lot and adjacent street.
In cooperation with the Muscatine Pollinator Project and the Muscatine Soil and Water Conservation District, the City applied for and was awarded a cost-share grant from the Water Quality Initiative Urban Conservation Project funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS).
CONSTRUCTION PHOTO GALLERY
