Oak-Land Underground Stormwater Retention System

Project Summary

An underground stormwater retention system helped Oak-Land Middle School manage increased runoff while preserving valuable campus space. TrueNorth Steel supplied 4,661 feet of 42-inch perforated aluminized corrugated steel pipe for the Lake Elmo, Minnesota project.

Making Room for Growth Above and Below Ground

42-inch corrugated steel pipe staged for the Oak-Land Middle School underground stormwater retention system.

Growth at Oak-Land Middle School created more than a need for additional classroom space. It also created a stormwater management challenge beneath the expanding campus.

In November 2023, voters approved a $175 million bond for Stillwater Area Public Schools. The funding supports several facility projects, including the expansion and renovation of Oak-Land Middle School. The school is expected to accommodate approximately 300 additional students as residential development continues around Lake Elmo.

More students required more space. However, the larger building footprint also increased impervious surface area and stormwater runoff.

The project team needed an underground stormwater retention system that could meet municipal requirements without consuming valuable surface space. Traditional above-ground detention was not practical for the site.

Instead, the project moved stormwater storage underground using corrugated steel pipe.

Underground Stormwater Retention Preserves Campus Space

Schools face a particular challenge when balancing development with stormwater management. Open land supports recreation, circulation, future improvements, and everyday school activities.

Dedicating that space to a large surface detention area can limit how a campus functions.

Perforated corrugated steel pipe installed underground during construction at Oak-Land Middle School in Minnesota.

The Oak-Land Middle School project addressed that issue with underground stormwater storage. The system manages runoff below grade while allowing the surface above to remain available for campus needs.

That approach reflects a broader advantage of modern stormwater management systems. Underground systems can provide required storage while helping owners make better use of constrained sites.

Schools have used this strategy before. At Thompson Middle School, an underground corrugated steel pipe system helped preserve usable land while meeting detention requirements.

Likewise, a New Braunfels Canyon High School case study demonstrated how underground detention can help schools balance stormwater requirements with valuable campus space.

For Oak-Land Middle School, moving stormwater management below grade supported the same fundamental goal: make room for infrastructure without sacrificing the space students and staff use above it.

More Than 4,600 Feet of Perforated Corrugated Steel Pipe

TrueNorth Steel supplied the underground stormwater retention system through regional partner Ferguson Waterworks. Frattalone Companies completed the installation.

The system included 4,661 feet of 42-inch-diameter, 16-gauge perforated corrugated steel pipe with Aluminized Type 2 coating. The project also incorporated solid 42-inch aluminized corrugated steel pipe.

Crews installing 42-inch corrugated steel pipe for the Oak-Land Middle School stormwater retention system.

The perforated CSP plays a central role in the system’s stormwater management function. It provides underground capacity for runoff created by the expanded campus.

Perforated systems also offer designers flexibility when site conditions call for underground storage. NCSPA has documented how perforated corrugated steel pipe can support stormwater storage while reducing the surface footprint required for stormwater infrastructure.

Another example can be found at the City Center Regional Stormwater Facility, where engineers used perforated aluminized corrugated steel pipe when limited space made the project footprint an important design consideration.

At Oak-Land Middle School, the result is a substantial school stormwater management system tucked beneath a campus being prepared for future growth.

Manufacturing and Delivery Required Careful Coordination

A system of this scale required more than manufacturing thousands of feet of pipe.

TrueNorth Steel produced the material at its Fargo, North Dakota, facility. Manufacturing required approximately 165 labor hours.

Then came the logistics.

Delivering the system to Lake Elmo required 24 semi-truck loads. Each shipment had to arrive when crews needed the material.

Careful scheduling helped maintain continuous material availability while avoiding disruptions to construction progress. That coordination supported the larger Oak-Land Middle School expansion schedule.

The project demonstrates how manufacturing, transportation, and field installation must work together on large underground stormwater storage projects. Even a well-designed system depends on getting the right materials to the site at the right time.

Stormwater Infrastructure Supporting a Growing School

The Oak-Land Middle School expansion represents a larger investment in the future of the community.

Stillwater Area Public Schools expects the school to serve approximately 300 additional students during the coming decade. The district’s expansion plans include additional classrooms and a new gymnasium as it prepares for that growth.

The underground stormwater retention system supports those improvements from below ground.

By managing increased runoff, the system helps the expanded campus meet municipal stormwater requirements. It also helps protect school infrastructure from flooding while preserving functional surface space.

For a growing school on a constrained site, those benefits matter.

The project shows how corrugated steel pipe stormwater systems can become an integral part of broader site development. Rather than allowing stormwater storage to compete with other campus needs, the Oak-Land Middle School project placed that infrastructure underground.

The result supports both immediate expansion and the school’s long-term mission.

Underground stormwater storage system taking shape beneath the Oak-Land Middle School expansion site.

For more examples of underground stormwater infrastructure on space-constrained sites, explore these NCSPA projects:

Project Spotlight: Thompson Middle School
An underground aluminized corrugated metal pipe detention system helped a school district preserve valuable land while meeting stormwater storage requirements.

New Braunfels Canyon High School
This school expansion used underground detention to manage stormwater while preserving valuable campus property.

Project Spotlight: City Center Regional Stormwater Facility
A perforated aluminized corrugated metal pipe system provided underground stormwater storage where available space was limited.

Stormwater Retention System: Sustainably Transforming Beacon Bluff
This Minnesota redevelopment used a large underground perforated corrugated steel pipe system as part of its stormwater management strategy.

Underground Stormwater Retention Supports Oak-Land Middle School Expansion