Environmentally Friendly, High-Level Bypass System for Lift Station Upgrade

In Lebanon, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, one of the area’s lift stations needed an upgrade to keep it operating efficiently and at full capacity. However, the high flow and heavy rains at the lift station put the city at risk of EPA violations due to the potential of sewer water overflow into a nearby stream.

By: Mark Singleton, North Central Regional Manager for Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Company

CHALLENGE

With the risk of overflow being a top priority, the city needed to find an effective solution to move the sewer water away from the lift station while lessening the amount of water being bypassed to the nearby stream and conveying more water to the already constructed four-million-gallon flow equalization basin. The city, their consulting firm and Thompson Pump determined a temporary high-level bypass system that could manage the high flow and heavy rains would be needed to complete this task.

SOLUTION

The city contracted Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Company to help create the bypass and environmental solution. Two of Thompson’s 6JSCEE pumps were selected due to their high efficiency, reliability, and ability to handle large volumes of water. The pumps were strategically placed to pump the sewer water directly into the four-million-gallon flow equalization tank, thus mitigating the threat of an overflow and EPA violations. Because the project was expected to last two years, the Thompson Pump team considered year-round weather conditions that could influence the bypass flow and installed in-line strainers and valves to help drain discharge lines in cold weather.

RESULTS

With Thompson’s two 6JSCEE pumps, this high-level bypass system effectively managed the high flow and heavy rains while mitigating overflows. The project’s effective planning and reliable equipment proved to be a success, by safeguarding the local environment and enhancing the city’s wastewater management infrastructure.