Chapter 26

Pumping Station
Design Examples
GARR M. JONES
GARY S. DODSON
THEODORE B. WHITON

CONTRIBUTORS
Roger Cronin
Philip A. Huff
Paul C. Leach
Ralph E. Marquiss
M. Steve Merrill
Earle C. Smith
Patricia A. Trager
William Wheeler

Chapter 12 contains details for selecting pumping
equipment and installing it in properly designed wet
wells with piping arrangements that allow for easy
access in a minimum of space. The principles for the
layout of the basic elements of wastewater and water
pumping stations respectively are given by example in
Chapters 17 and 18. These principles should be fol-
lowed with an overall objective of keeping the instal-
lation as simple as possible. The guiding rule should
be to protect the equipment and installation and, as
much as practicable, protect against the prospect of
catastrophic failure. Care should be exercised to fol-
low the requirements of appropriate code documents
and industry standards.
This chapter contains examples of both actual and
hypothetical designs that reflect improvements in
technology that have occurred since publication of
the first edition of Pumping Station Design in 1989.
The examples of pumping station design include:
pacity: 25.9 L/s (410 gal/min). Improvement of
original design.
. Section 26-2. Three dry-pit, V/S pumps for domestic
wastewater in a trench-type sump. Capacity: 219 L/s
(5 Mgal/d). Improvement of original design.
. Section 26-3. Three four-stage, two-speed vertical
turbines for raw water in a trench-type sump. Ca-
pacity: 920 L/s (21 Mgal/d). Designed in 1993, and
began service in 1995.
Dimensions and values in the plans and text for
each section are, for simplicity, written in either SI
units or in U.S. customary units but not usually in
both. Readers should have no difficulty in transform-
ing one set of units into the other.
26-1. Redesigned Clyde Wastewater
Pumping Station

. Section 26-1. Duplex submersible pumps for do- The Clyde Wastewater Pumping Station in Contra
mestic wastewater in a hopper-bottom sump. Ca- Costa County, California, was rebuilt in 1991 to

26.1
26.2 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples
feature a self-cleaning sump. It is cleaned by pumping
the water level down while vigorously mixing the
contents with water from the force main. In the as-
built plans, shown in Figure 17-22, eccentric plug
valves in the valve vault can be regulated to take
water from either the force main or from either of
the two pumps. The water is discharged under con-
siderable pressure at the surface of the lowered water
level in the sump while a pump discharges the mixed
liquid to the force main. The system works well for
removing both scum and sludge and leaves the wet
well remarkably clean.
In this section, the station is described as it might
be designed in 2005 with the technology developed
since the original plans were drawn. These changes
consist of (1) steeper slopes to allow sludge to slide
down to the pump intakes so that sludge is removed
with every motor start, and (2) a sloping approach
pipe for introducing the inflow without a cascade and
for supplying added storage to reduce the size of the
wet well. In other respects, the design approach
closely follows that of the existing Clyde pumping
station except that fewer valves are used in the valve
vault.
The actual design was carried out in U.S. custom-
ary units, so those are the units used in this example.
The original sewer design studies, surveys, and dis-
cussions with operation and maintenance staff estab-
lished the following general requirements for this
wastewater lift station.
. General: submersible pumps were preferred be-
cause of overall low cost, low maintenance, simpli-
city in operation, and minimizing visual impact on
the neighborhood.
. Flow rates: Present average dry-weather flow: 30 gal/
min.
Present peak wet-weather flow: 236 gal/min.
Future peak wet-weather flow: 410 gal/min
(equals the capacity of one pump).
. Ground elevation: 13.2 ft. Pumping station site is
relatively flat.
. Force main: An existing 8-in. cement-lined ductile
iron pipe 2750 ft long was available.
Invert elevation: 6.6 ft at the pumping station
and 20.6 ft at the discharge.
Slope: constant.
. Reliability: ability to pump future peak wet-wea-
ther flow with either of the two pumps out of
service.
Hook-up for portable engine-generator due to
lack of space for permanent engine-generator.
High wet well power-failure and intrusion alarm
hooked up to an auto-dialer.
. Location: on shoulder of narrow residential street.
Considerations include space, visibility, odors,
noise, and security.
Station Siting
Station siting is established by the low point in
the tributary area as well as access, availability of
property, proximity to residents (i.e., farther is
better), and the cost of piping to and from the site.
The low point in the tributary area usually dictates
the general location. Access is important because
operation and maintenance staff must be able to
visit the facility at any hour of the day and under
adverse conditions. Access by public roads (paved, if
possible) without the need to traverse private prop-
erty or move parked automobiles is required. It is
also preferable to provide room for maintaining the
station without obstructing traffic or endangering
workers.
Property and easement acquisition begins imme-
diately after selecting the preferred site and before
design on the pump station begins. Many projects
have been delayed and/or designs changed because
the site acquisition process did not begin soon
enough. Such delays and changes will result in sig-
nificant costs to the owner of the facility.
Hydraulic Design
Hydraulic design includes sizing the force main and
developing the system curves, which are then used to
select the number and size of the pumps. The rest of
the facility is designed around the pumps. The force
main invert elevation at the pumping station should,
if possible, be set to allow for a constantly rising
slope. High spots (knees) in a wastewater force
main are to be avoided if at all possible because
knees require air release valves, and it is wise to
avoid them if possible (see Section 5–7). Force main
installation costs increase with depth, so it is best to
keep the pipe as shallow as possible. The discharge
end of the force main is susceptible to hydrogen
sulfide corrosion and should be protected by using
corrosion-resistant piping (PVC, or HDPE) where
exposed to air or else be submerged to prevent cor-
rosion. Corrosion-resistant piping, as shown in
Figure 26-1, should begin 10 ft before the point
where the static water level contacts the soffit of the
force main.
 26-1. Redesigned Clyde Wastewater Pumping Station 26.3

Figure 26-1. Piping profile.

Force mains should be sized to provide a min-
imum fluid velocity of 2.5 ft/s at present flows and a
maximum fluid velocity of 6 to 8 ft/s at future peak
wet weather flows. The minimum fluid velocity
ensures that most solids will be moved through the
force main. The maximum fluid velocity is set to min-
imize headloss and reduce surge pressures in long force
mains. A 6-in. force main would meet these criteria for
the stated flow conditions. However, an 8-in. mortar-
lined ductile iron pipe was already in place and was
therefore used. The fluid velocity in the force main for
this pumping station with its one duty pump is 2.5 ft/s
(see Table B-2 for the cross-sectional area).
System curves are developed to define the design
operating point and extreme operating conditions for
the pumps. Computations for these conditions at the
future peak wet weather flowrate are given in
Table 26-1. Note that K-values are not absolutes.
Different engineers may elect to use different values.
Those in Table 26-1 differ somewhat from those in
Table B-6. Minimum losses are given for a pipe
roughness corresponding to C ¼ 145, and the max-
imum is for C ¼ 120. The results are shown graphic-
ally in Figure 26-2. Point A is the normal flow and
head condition, and Point B is the extreme flow and
head condition at which the pump may operate.
26.4 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples

Table 26-1. Total Dynamic Headlosses for Q ¼ 410 gal=min (0:91 ft3 =s)

Headlosses, ft

C ¼ 145 C ¼ 120
Description Minimum Maximum

Station losses (4-in. DIP, v ¼ 10.3 ft/s) K-value

Entrance 0.50 0.82 0.82
908 bends, 2 at 0.25 0.50 0.82 0.82
458 bend 0.20 0.33 0.33
Ball check valve 1.35 2.22 2.22
Eccentric plug valve 0.50 0.82 0.82
Tee, line flow 0.30 — 0.49
908 bend 4- to 8-in. expanding 0.50 0.82 0.82
Tee, branch flow, v ¼ 2.49 ft/s 0.75 0.07 0.07
Force main losses
2750 ft 8–9 in. DIP, lined (v ¼ 2.49) 6.93 9.83
P
Minor losses, valves, discharge. K ¼ 2:5 0.24 0.24
Static lift 8.78a 19.18

Total design head 21.85 (22) 35.64 (36)

a
Wet well is assumed to be filled to ground level.

Not all submersible pump manufacturers include Pump Selection

the entrance and discharge elbow losses in their pump
curves. The specified design point should be clear on
what has been included for losses. The minor losses
are not very important for pumping stations with
long force mains, but they could be significant for a
lift station with low head requirements.
Operation and maintenance personnel prefer equip-
ment with which they are familiar. They do not like
‘‘experimental’’ applications. Pump selection starts
by soliciting input from the people who operate
them. Identical pumps are used for multiple pump

Figure 26-2. Pump and system head-capacity curves.

 26-1. Redesigned Clyde Wastewater Pumping Station
applications whenever possible to simplify mainten-
ance and provide interchangeability of parts. It is
advantageous to have service and parts available
from a nearby source.
The selected pump curve and impeller diameter
should meet the design point near the best efficiency
point (BEP). The selected pump should also operate
at the low head and high head extremes without
cavitating or vibrating. Pump curves with steep slopes
are better than those with flat slopes because there is
less variation in capacity with varying head condi-
tions. (Flat spots or dips in the pump curve are there-
fore undesirable.) Wherever possible, choose impellers
of intermediate size so that a larger impeller can be
substituted for larger future flows. The motor is sized
for the worst possible operating point (which is often
the low head extreme with one pump operating). For
multiple pumps, the best pump efficiency should be at
normal operating conditions and not at the ultimate
peak flows. However, the emphasis should be on
finding pumps that can operate within the POR at
the most frequent pumping condition, within the
AOR for all pumping conditions, and without vibra-
tion or cavitation at all anticipated service condi-
tions.
Wet Well
The wet well is designed to (1) have adequate space for
the pumps, (2) facilitate cleaning, (3) contain sufficient
storage volume, (4) limit pump starts, and (5) minimize
installation costs. For a small duplex submersible
pumping station, the most economical wet well is
often a reinforced concrete pipe 1.8 or 2.4 m (6 or
8 ft) in diameter standing on a cast concrete bottom.
To improve solids removal, the pumps are con-
fined by close-fitting, nearly conical, smooth walls
sloping at 60 degrees or more. Sludge and grit slide
down the walls to the pump suction. If the walls clear
the pump volutes by no more than 100 mm (4 in.),
the flat floor area is small and within the influence of
the suction currents of both pumps. Consequently,
the sludge is so confined that it cannot accumulate
under the inactive pump for longer than one pump
cycle if the pumps are alternated. The sloping walls
may be constructed by placing a custom form in the
wet well and injecting concrete behind the form.
Fiberglass-reinforced plastic or stainless steel (or
any smooth, durable material) can be used as the
form and can then remain in place as a liner to
provide a smooth, corrosion-resistant surface to fa-
cilitate cleaning. Holes are required in the form for
the pump discharge elbows, which are largely con-
26.5
tained within the walls. If a disposable form is used,
the concrete should be covered with a protective liner
such as PVC. The vertical walls above the ‘‘cone’’
should also be protected with a PVC liner.
Active Volume
The active or working volume of wet well and ap-
proach pipe must be adequate to limit the frequency
of pump starts to a safe value. Conical bottoms reduce
the volume available in the wet well, but the addition
of an approach pipe laid on a 2% gradient, as de-
scribed in Example 12-2, supplies additional volume.
The normal LWL is set above the invert of the
approach (inlet) pipe by 60% of its diameter and the
invert is set at or somewhat above the top of the pump
volute. Except during cleaning, (1) the motor is always
at least half-submerged, and (2) there is no free fall into
the wet well. Consult the manufacturer about the min-
imum submergence for the motor and the maximum
frequency of pump starts. Starting frequency for small
to medium-sized submersible pumps may be expected
to vary between 10 and 20 starts/hour depending on the
resting time between starts. Using an alternator in
stations with multiple pumps to switch lead pumps
after each pump cycle reduces the starting frequency
and prolongs the life of the motor. However, one pump
may be out of service, so duplex stations must be
operable without alternation. Nevertheless, when
both pumps are serviceable, alternation could be used
to extend the life of the starters and motors.
Inlet pipes are traditionally oriented in a plane nor-
mal to the plane of the pumps, as shown by the dashed
lines in Figure 12-31. Such a configuration tends to
promote rotation that could increase to swirling in
pump intakes. A better configuration is to orient them
in the plane of the pumps so that the pump motor acts as
a baffle for the incoming current as shown in Figure
26-3a and b by the solid lines in Figure 12-31. Baffles are
desirable to break up incoming currents and reduce
turbulence. Furthermore, as the current is split by the
pump motor, there is no tendency for rotation to occur.
Calculate the required active volume from Equa-
tion 12-8. If the allowable starting frequency for one
pump is 10 cycles/hour, each cycle takes 6 min and
the required volume is
TQ
V¼
4
(6 min)(410 gal=min)
¼ ¼ 615 gal ¼ 61:8 ft3
4
where T ¼ time in minutes and Q ¼ flow in gpm.
26.6 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples

Figure 26-3. Layout of redesigned Clyde pumping station. (a) Plan view; (b) Section A-A.

The wet well and approach pipe are laid out so
that the working volume is 615 gal. The existing wet
well has limited volume, but an approach pipe 100 ft
long by 12 in. in diameter, laid on a 2% slope, in-
creases the working volume to 870 gal. The invert
elevation at the wet well is 2.30 ft. The LWL is set
at 2.80 ft to force the hydraulic jump to occur in the
pipe and not in the wet well. The HWL is set at
4.80 ft. At the upstream manhole, the invert elevation
of the approach pipe is 4.30 ft. On a rising grade of
2%, the invert on the upstream side of a 48-in. man-
hole would be 0.08 ft higher, but there is some form
and friction loss in the transition from half-filled
sewer to quarter-filled approach pipe, so an increase
 26-1. Redesigned Clyde Wastewater Pumping Station
of 0.05 ft brings the sewer invert to an elevation of
4.43, as shown in Figure 26-1.
Standby Power
The site cannot accommodate the installation of a
permanent engine-generator for standby power. The
operator has chosen to store a portable engine-gener-
ator at a site about a mile from this facility. A power
failure and high-water alarm indicate potential
overflow at the station. During dry-weather flow,
more than one hour is available to transport and
connect the portable engine-generator. However,
during wet weather periods, there may be less than
10 min available for that task. Wastewater pumping
stations should normally be provided with perma-
nent, on-site standby power to reduce the exposure
to wastewater overflows.
Station Piping
Station piping within the wet well is limited to the two
pump discharge lines and a force main drain line.
Piping within the wet well is as simple as possible
with few fittings and no valves. Flange bolts within
the wet well are 316 stainless steel, as are the pipe
supports and hardware. The piping design within the
wet well minimizes items that corrode, that require
regular maintenance, or that may catch floating de-
bris. Valves and fittings are contained in a separate
valve pit next to the wet well.
The valve pit contains the pump isolation and check
valves on the two pump discharge lines and their con-
nection to the force main. A valved force main drain
line that discharges back into the wet well is also in-
cluded. It can be used to agitate the contents of the wet
well vigorously so that scum, mixed into the contents,
is ejected with the wastewater. Such mixing eliminates
the need to pump the water level down to the pump
volute to develop vortices for engulfing the scum—an
operation that subjects the pump to vibration, stress,
and wear of the mechanical seals. Valve stems and nuts
are extended nearly to grade to permit operation with-
out the need to enter the vault.
An alternative is the use of a pump that ejects part
of its discharge into the wet well during the first
minute or two after the pump is switched on. The
water ejected through a flush valve mixes the solids so
that some are discharged to the force main during
each pump cycle. The advantage is that the wet well
is kept continuously clean automatically. The disad-
vantages are a small loss of efficiency, the added
26.7
mechanical device on the pump, and a single manu-
facturer.
Controls and Alarms
The pumps are set up in a lead/lag arrangement with
automatic alternation after each pump cycle to bal-
ance run times and minimize starts per hour. HAND/
OFF/AUTO operator selector switches are provided
for each pump at the control panel located with a
view of the wet well. Pumps are operated by the wet
well water level indicated by a pressure transducer/
transmitter hanging in a PVC pipe in the wet well.
Keypad controllers are generally preferred because
they are easy to operate, do not have pins (easy to
lose), and can be programmed with a security code.
The high-water-level alarm consists of a float switch
connected to an auto-dialer that pages the on-call
operator. A stainless-steel chain supported by the
hatch frame is connected to the float switch so the
operator can periodically test the switch. A nylon
cord would serve the same purpose at less cost.
Operation and Maintenance
Double-leaf, spring-loaded aluminum hatches rated
for an H-20 loading are installed over the wet well for
access to the pumps. Similar hatches are installed
over the valve vault. Safety chains are provided to
create a barrier when the hatch is open. Hatches are
equipped with padlocks for protection against van-
dalism.
Telescoping stainless-steel tubes are used for guide
rails for installing the pumps. Except during times
needed, they are lifted out of the water and hence
do not collect debris. Lifting chains to the pumps are
omitted because it is easier to lift the pump by its
lifting bail. Lifting by a chain requires a high boom.
The owner uses a truck-mounted boom and winch for
lifting pumps but, alternatively, a fixed crane or hoist
could be installed on site. Winches are equipped with
ratchets for use in both directions.
The site is equipped with overhead lights with
electric power supplied from a nearby power service
pole. Lights are also provided within the outer door
of the control panel. A weather guard extending
18 in. in front of the panel is installed at the top
front of the control panel. A hook-up with a manual
transfer switch makes it easy to use the owner’s
trailer-mounted engine-generator.
Wash-down water is obtained on-site from the
potable water supply. The equipment consists of an
26.8 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples
air-gap tank, water pump, and hose bibb contained
in a locked steel cabinet. The wash-water pump,
equipped with a preset timer for automatic shutoff,
also has an automatic recirculation line with a pres-
sure regulating valve. Steel traffic bollards are placed
around the water and electrical control cabinets.
There is no fencing around the site.
Final Check
After completing the pump selection and piping lay-
outs, the system hydraulics are checked again to see
that the pump selected is the best fit, and that the
motor and electrical gear are sized adequately. The
drawings and specifications are reviewed by the
owner, and the operators are walked through the
design system-by-system. Final revisions are made
before bidding the project.
Critique
Compare Figures 26-3, 17-21, and 17-22. The choice
of pumping station configuration for each site should
be based on sound judgment in which first cost is
balanced against cleanliness and desired control of
odors and the ease and cost of maintenance.
Some operators prefer that the pump discharge
lines be cross-connected with each other upstream
from the check valves (with a valve on each branch)
and connected to the force main drain line, as in
Figure 17-22. Although such piping increases the
number of valves, the size of the valve vault, and
the project cost, it allows the operator to agitate the
wet well contents with one pump before pumping to
the force main with the other. It also allows the
operator to backflow one pump with the other to
remove clogs without removing the pump.
The plans in Figure 26-3 indicate a cone-shaped
hopper bottom. To keep the water surface area as small
as possible so that scum will be readily drawn into the
pump intakes at pump-down, the sides of the sump
should hug the pump volutes with no more than 4 in.
of clearance. These pumps are too far apart. A clearance
of 4 in. is enough. Interference is no consideration. The
pumps are not operated simultaneously.
26-2. Redesigned Kirkland Wastewater
Pumping Station
Designed originally in 1965, the Kirkland Pumping
Station is shown in U.S. customary units in
Figures 17-13 and 17-14, so the same units are used
in this section. The station has been in continuous
operation since 1967. The following example is a
revised version of the existing station, modified to
reflect: (1) wet well design developments that facili-
tate the self-cleaning features described in Chapter
12; (2) the best in current technology; and (3) more
recent and stringent reliability standards. The station
consists of three 2.5 Mgal/d pumps operating against
a total dynamic head of 189 feet.
The top of the influent sewer is no more than 6 ft
below finished grade. For such a shallow site, hori-
zontal pumps were selected for both the 1965 and the
current designs. Because they are less prone to vibra-
tion, horizontal pumps are preferred when they can
be justified by little increase in structure cost. Instead
of the eddy-current couplings used in the original
station, the revised design has 125-hp adjustable-fre-
quency drives. A 300-kW standby generator protects
against power outages.
The force main terminates at an interceptor sewer
3150 ft from the pumping station site at an elevation
123 ft above the soffit of the influent sewer. Calcula-
tions were performed by using PUMPGRAF ß [1], a
computer spreadsheet program configured specific-
ally for pumping station design work.
Individual Hydraulic Losses
Calculations for individual hydraulic losses from the
pump inlet to the connection with the discharge
manifold were performed first and are shown in
Table 26-2. The pump inlet bell diameter in the wet
well was selected on the basis of a conservative limit-
ing fluid velocity of 4.5 ft/s even though ANSI/HI
9.8-2000 allows 5.5 ft/s. Maximum velocities in
pump connecting piping were considered acceptable
for a variable-speed station, where higher losses are
only realized when the equipment operates at full
speed. Upon completion of these calculations, they
were automatically loaded into the program for the
calculation of station system losses.
Station System Losses
Station system headlosses in the force main (includ-
ing static lift) were calculated from the manifold to
the point of discharge and are shown in Table 26-3.
Instead of the asbestos cement pipe used in the ori-
ginal project, HDPE was the material selected for the
force main. Losses were initially calculated for a
Hazen-Williams C of 140 and then recalculated for
 26-2. Redesigned Kirkland Wastewater Pumping Station 26.9

Table 26-2. Pump Intake and Discharge Headlosses

2.5 ¼ Starting Flow  mgd Title: Revised Kirkland Pumping Station

119.98 ¼ Elev @ Start  Feet Brown and Caldwell
140 ¼ Default C-Value >25 New C: 140 HiGrf LoGrf PmpCorr

14 ¼ Default Diam Inch New D: 14 53.34 ¼ Target Headloss

304.8 ¼ Default Pipe Length Feet 9.185 ¼ Total Headloss – Feet
Date: 06-July 96 ParaEq ¼ 3169.6 ¼ EqivLnth (Std¼def) – Feet
Flow, Item Description of Diameter, K or Fixed Length, Loss, Hyd Grad, ft Vel, V-Hd,
mgd Friction Loss in. Cval Loss ft Item No. ft Pmp ! Dch fps ft

2.5 Bell Mouth Entrance 14 0.05 1 0.01 119.97 3.6 0.2

2.5 908 Elbow 10 0.3 2 0.23 119.74 7.1 0.78
2.5 Plug Valve 10 0.6 3 0.47 119.27 7.1 0.78
2.5 Reducer 10 0.01 4 0.01 119.26 7.1 0.78
2.5 PUMP 14 0.01 5 0.00 119.26 3.6 0.2
2.5 Increaser 6 1 6 6.03 113.23 19 6.03
2.5 908 Elbow 10 0.6 7 0.47 112.76 7.1 0.78
2.5 Check Valve 14 3.5 8 0.71 112.05 3.6 0.2
2.5 Plug Valve 10 0.6 9 0.47 111.58 7.1 0.78
2.5 Branch Flow Tee 10 1 10 0.78 110.80 7.1 0.78
2.5 11

Table 26-3. Force Main Headlosses for C ¼ 140

5 ¼ Starting Flow – mgd Revised Kirkland Pumping Station

119.98 ¼ Elev @ Start – Feet Title: Brown and Caldwell
120 ¼ Default C-Value > 25 New C: 120 HiGrf PmpCorr
14 ¼ Default Diam – Inch New D: 14 ¼ Target Headloss
1000 ¼ Default Pipe Length – Feet 169.49 ¼ Total Headloss  Feet

Date: 06-July-96 ParaEq ¼ 3341.6 ¼ EqivLnth (Std¼def)  Feet

Flow, Item Description of Diam, K or Length, Item Loss, Hyd Grad, ft Vel, V-Hd,
mgd Friction Loss in. Cval Fixed Loss ft No. ft Pmp ! Dch fps ft

5 Fixed Static head 122 1 123.00 289.48

5 908 Elbow 14 0.6 2 0.49 288.99 7.2 0.8
5 Straight Pipe 14 120 25 3 0.35 288.64 7.2 0.8
5 908 Elbow 14 0.3 4 0.24 288.40 7.2 0.8
5 Straight Pipe 14 120 140 5 1.95 286.45 7.2 0.8
5 458 Elbow 14 0.25 6 0.20 286.25 7.2 0.8
5 Straight Pipe 14 120 1040 7 14.47 271.77 7.2 0.8
5 908 Elbow 14 0.3 8 0.24 271.53 7.2 0.8
5 228 Elbow 14 0.1 9 0.08 271.45 7.2 0.8
5 Straight Pipe 14 120 975 10 13.57 257.88 7.2 0.8
5 908 Elbow 14 0.3 11 0.24 257.64 7.2 0.8
5 Straight Pipe 14 120 995 12 13.85 243.79 7.2 0.8
5 Outlet Loss 14 1 13 0.81 242.98 7.2 0.8
5 14
26.10 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples
a C of 120. Individual losses for the pump inlet and
discharge piping in Table 26-2 were not included in
these calculations.
Pump Selection
Station system losses were then transferred through
the program to the pump selection program (see
Table 26-4), and a pump was selected from a previ-
ously entered library of pump manufacturers’ catalog
information. Plots of the selected performance
curves against station system curves are shown in
Figures 26-4 and 26-5. The pump performance
curves plotted on the figure have been adjusted for
individual pump inlet and discharge piping losses of
9.2 ft at 2.5 Mgal/d. These values must be added to
the information on the plot to arrive at the correct
rating for the pump. In this example, the pumps are
to be rated at 2.5 Mgal/d at a total head of 180 ft.
The pump selection is considered acceptable because
the intersection between the pump performance
curve and the expected range of operating conditions
lies well within the AOR. Note that the intersection
between the manufacturer’s curve and the station
system curves lies to the right of the pump’s best
efficiency point. As speed is reduced in variable-
speed operation, the point of intersection of the
curves passes through the pump’s zone of best effi-
ciency.
After an acceptable pump selection was found, the
program was used to evaluate pump performance at
variable speed, and these data are shown in Table 26-5
and in Figure 26-5. As indicated, the minimum oper-
ating speed is approximately 1300 rev/min, which
corresponds to a flow rate of 0.6 Mgal/d.
 26-2. Redesigned Kirkland Wastewater Pumping Station 26.11

280 280
1785 rev/min
260

17
85
%
240 240
64

62
Tw
op 220
70 um 16 70
200 72 ps 200 0 72
O

73 re 73

Head, ft
ne
Head, ft

v/
0 m
72
pu

2 180 in 72
=1 0
m

C 14 12
71 C=
p

160 0 160 50 71
14
67 C= 67 14
0
64
140 13
64 C=
0 0
120 120

100

80 80
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Discharge, Mgal/d Flow rate, Mgal/d

Figure 26-4. Pump and system curves. Figure 26-5. Single pump at variable speed operation.
26.12 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples

Hydraulic Profile
Next, a plot (Figure 26-6) of the force main and hy-
draulic profiles was constructed for a visual portrayal
of hydraulic conditions in the system at both minimum
and maximum system capacity. From an inspection of
the plot, it was found that the hydraulic profile remains
well above the force main profile from the pumping
station to the point of discharge under all operating
conditions. In addition, there appeared to be no high
points or knees that would be the location of column
separation in a hydraulic transient condition. Finally,
the pipeline profile does not touch the mirror image
line, so column separation does not appear to be a
problem (see Section 7-1). For a 21-in. force main
constructed of HDPE, the wave propagation velocity
is about one-third of that for ductile iron or asbestos
cement (refer to Chapter 7). Based on inspection of the
force main/hydraulic profile plots and the low wave
propagation velocity, a formal transient analysis might
not be necessary. However, under the rules given in
Section 6-8, a transient analysis would be required
because (1) the TDH exceeds 50 ft and the flow rate
exceeds 500 gal/min, and (2) the pipeline has a long,
steep gradient followed by a long, shallow gradient.
Geometry
velocity above the trench to 1 ft/s for any inflow. At
the maximum inflow of 5.0 Mgal/d, a cross-sectional
area of 7:75 ft2 is required, and at half the flow with
the inlet pipe half full, the required cross-sectional
area above the trench must be no less than 3:88 ft2 .
In this design, the second criterion is the more critical
and results in locating the top of the trench 4.0 in.
below the invert of the influent pipe. If the sides are
allowed to slope at 45 degrees, the wet well above the
inlet pipe can be made 5 ft wide. Note that installing
the sluice gate requires a flat surface at least 12 in.
wider than the diameter of the inlet pipe.
Pump Intakes
The dimensions of a ductile iron bend and flare were
judged to be unfavorable, so a special fitting consist-
ing of a short-radius steel 90-degree bend welded
between a 14  10 reducer (with an OD of 14 in. or
1.17 ft) and a steel flange was selected. The trench
was made 2.33 ft wide—equivalent to two bell
diameters.
The maximum intake fluid velocity for a single
pump at a flow rate of 2.9 Mgal/d (see Figures 26-4
and 26-5) is 4.2 ft/s. The minimum center-to-center
spacing of pump intakes should be at least 2.5 D or
2.92 ft.

The station capacity is 5 Mgal/d or 7:75 ft3 =s. From Intake Submergence
the principles presented in Chapter 12, the cross-
sectional area of the wet well above the trench should Submergence, governed by Equation 12-1, was calcu-
be sufficient to limit the average forward (plug flow) lated to be 3.0 ft at runout conditions for a single

200
Maximum hy
180 draulic profile

160

140
e
Mirror imag
Elevation, ft

120

100

80
Pipe line profile
60

40

20

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Distance from pumping station, ft.
Figure 26-6. Plot of hydraulic and force main profiles.
 26-2. Redesigned Kirkland Wastewater Pumping Station
pump. (Details of a somewhat similar calculation are
given in Example 12-1, Part C.) The LWL would be set
somewhat above the invert of the influent pipe. For
example, minimum flow would be expected to be about
one-tenth of maximum flow or 0.5 Mgal/d. By using
Figure B-4 or Table B-8, minimum flow depth in the
influent sewer can be determined and the LWL set at
that same elevation. For practicality, however, if the 4
ma signal from a 4 to 20 ma range is set at the invert of
the influent pipe, the LWL should be about right. The
trench depth was based on submergence with respect to
(1) wet well level even with normal flow depth in the
influent sewer, (2) LWL at runout for a single pump,
and (3) a floor clearance of D/2 for upstream pumps.
The trench must be at least 2.5 D deep, but it might have
to be deeper to satisfy submergence requirements.
The last pump (farthest from the influent sewer)
has its inlet located D/4 above the floor. Find the
sequent depth during pump-down, however, and
make sure the inlet is about D/2 below the water
surface to avoid losing prime too quickly. For other
wet wells, it might be necessary to drop the floor at
AF Converter
B B
Standby gen-set
UP
Pump 3
Roll-up door
0 5 10 ft
Scale
Figure 26-7. Ground floor plan. Revised Kirkland Pumping Station.
26.13
the last pump. For this short trench, a dropped floor
is unnecessary as proven by model studies.
Plans
The plans, shown in Figures 26-7 through 26-9, illus-
trate the conceptual design for the revised station.
Because the station must be located on a very small
site, the pump inlets were located at the minimum
permissible separation so as not to encroach on the
space needed for the engine-generator. The pump
inlet piping for Pumps 2 and 3 were skewed to permit
the pumps to be located with a clear separation of
3.5 ft between bases.
The wet well has been revised to include an ogee
ramp and a motor-operated sluice gate to protect the
wet well in emergencies. Instead of locating a grated
walkway over the pump inlet channel as in the ori-
ginal design, a walkway alongside the channel makes
access far more convenient for housekeeping chores
(such as hosing grease off the walls).
UP
Walkway
Wet well
Motor control center
Motors
Pump 2 Pump 1
Shelf
A
26.14 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples

Hand rail

Walkway

Figure 26-8. Section A-A. Revised Kirkland Pumping Station.

Figure 26-9. Section B-B. Revised Kirkland Pumping Station.

 26-3. Jameson Canyon Raw Water Pumping Station
Instead of a spiral stair (permissible under then-
prevailing codes), a conventional stairway for access
from grade level to the pump room is used in the
revised design. All station auxiliaries (water pumps,
hydropneumatic tank, air compressors) are located
on an L-shaped bench along the south and east
walls. To conserve space at grade level, cabinets for
electrical equipment (instead of being located in a
separate room with a controlled climate) are to be
furnished with an internal cooling system.
Critique
The suction bells, spaced at 2.5 D on centers, could
perhaps be spaced at 2.0 D on centers (as shown for
unconfined wet wells in an older edition of the Hy-
draulic Institute’s Standards [2]) and thereby save
14 in. of wet well length. But the greater spacing is
more conservative and still keeps the wet well very
short. Whether to keep this spacing and splay or bend
the suction pipes, or to use rectilinear piping (as in the
original shown in Figure 17-13) and a much longer
wet well, is a matter of engineering judgment. One
disadvantage of the plans shown here is that if the
suction piping for Pump No. 3 ever clogs, it would be
more difficult to rod out debris than it would be for a
straight pipe. The need for rodding, however, is rare
because of the protection afforded by setting the
pump intakes at relatively small floor clearances.
The pump intake piping will be fitted with flush-out
connections to permit clearing the pipe with high-
pressure water. Mitered bends of a radius long
enough to pass rodding equipment could be used as
an alternative. Another disadvantage is that because
of the elbow connection, the distance from the back
wall to the center of the pump intake is 1.0 D instead
of the preferred 0.75 D. The latter disadvantage can
be overcome by adding vertical fillets at the corners
of the back wall to inhibit vortex formation in the
stagnant water downstream of the intake.
A trench width of 2.33 ft is too narrow for install-
ing flow splitters, cones, or fillets. Omit them, as they
were omitted in the original pumping station. Al-
though side wall and floor vortices are known to
exist, they have caused no problems.
26-3. Jameson Canyon Raw Water
Pumping Station
The Jameson Canyon Pumping Station was constructed
to replace an existing installation at the Cache Slough
Reservoir, which receives water from the Sacramento
26.15
River system and delivers it to the City of Vallejo,
California, Fleming Hill Water Treatment Plant. In
addition to the new pumping station, the project in-
cluded construction of a parallel pipeline from the res-
ervoir to the treatment plant on an alignment through
Gordon Valley. The original station, which has been
retained and modified to function as a reserve facility,
was found to be troublesome because of capacity-limit-
ing inlet conditions and other defects. In addition to
other problems, the station was sometimes troubled by
accumulations of silt in the reservoir.
Vertical turbine pumps were selected for the new
station because it could be constructed without the
cost of a pump room below ground level. Three
pumps were installed initially, with a position for a
fourth. Each pump has a nominal capacity of 416 L/s
(9.5 Mgal/d).
The new pumping station can receive water from
three sources, all with differing energy gradients. To
limit costs and provide acceptable sump levels for
operation with any source, a modulating butterfly
valve (installed upstream from the station but down-
stream from the connection to the three sources)
operates to maintain a fixed level in the pump
sump. The siltation problem noted in the operation
of the existing station dictated a sump configuration
that could avoid accumulations of the silt that ham-
pered the operation of the existing station. The plan
and cross-sectional views of the finished design are
shown in Figures 26-10 and 26-11.
An evaluation of operational considerations
showed that two-speed pumps afforded considerable
savings in operation and maintenance costs over vari-
able-speed drives, which would have no significant
advantages for this facility. The sump was designed
with sufficient volume to accept a two- to three-minute
fluctuation in water delivery rate without upsetting
the pump control system. Power-actuated 400-mm
(16-in.) ball valves on the pump discharges were
specified to control surges in the station sump on
pump start-up and shut-down.
An overflow consisting of a weir, trough, and three
600-mm (24-in.) pipes (Figures 26-10 and 26-11)
from the sump to the reservoir is for relieving surges
and backflow to the sump on power failure.
After a thorough economic analysis of the needs
and options for service during a power failure, an on-
site emergency generator was eliminated in favor of
reconditioning a 597-kW (800-hp) pump with a com-
bination motor and engine drive installed in the exist-
ing station. Piping from the new station to the
existing station a short distance away included
power-actuated valves that can be operated from a
remote control center.
 Figure 26-10. Plan of Jameson Canyon Pumping Station. Courtesy of Brown and Caldwell.

Figure 26-11. Cross-section of Jameson Canyon Pumping Station. Courtesy of Brown and Caldwell.
 26-3. Jameson Canyon Raw Water Pumping Station
Using the Stoner Associates (now Advantica, Inc.)
LIQT-PC [3] program, a transient analysis of pump-
ing operations revealed that a high point in the trans-
mission main approximately 5500 m (3.4 miles) from
the pumping station effectively limited station dis-
charge head at lower flows. Depending upon the
operational mode at the water treatment plant (throt-
tling or free discharge), the hydraulic profile was
dominated by the high point for flows less than
657 L/s (15 Mgal/d) for throttling or 920 L/s
(21 Mgal/d) for free discharge (see Figure 26-12).
The high point in the transmission main also
would be the site of a vapor cavity of damaging
proportions on power failure at maximum flowrates.
The transient analysis showed that the stop-and-
check ball valves at each pump must be controlled
to close in 8 min on power failure to keep the pres-
sures in the transmission main under control (see
Figure 26-12). During power failure, water will
bleed back through the pumps as the ball valves
Figure 26-12. Minimum and maximum hydraulic grade lines and pipeline profile. From a Stoner Associates (now
Advantica, Inc.) LIQT-PC transient analysis.
26.17
close. The pumps had to be specified to accept this
reverse flow and spin backward without damage.
Time delays are provided to prevent restart until the
pump stops turning. A large number of air-vacuum
valves were installed in the transmission main.
Critique
The decision to omit the ogee spillway for removing
sediment is a matter of balancing the extra cost of a
longer wet well against the possible deterioration of
water quality caused by possible organics deposited
with the solids. The likelihood of problem sediments
was judged to be remote for Jameson Canyon, but for
other raw water pumping stations, the inclusion of an
ogee spillway should be considered. If the water is
clean, some cost could be saved by substituting a flat
bench for the sloping side walls.
26.18 Chapter 26 Pumping Station Design Examples

26-4. References 2. Hydraulic Institute Standards for Centrifugal, Rotary &

Reciprocating Pumps, 14th ed., The Hydraulic Institute,
1. Wheeler, W., PUMPGRAFß. Contact William Wheeler at Parsippany, NJ (1983).
683 Limekiln Road, Doylestown, PA 18906-2335 for this 3. Stoner Associates. Now Advantica, Inc., 5177 Richmond
program. Ave., Ste 900, Houston, TX 77056. www/advantica.biz.