Trent Bowles, pump station supervisor, checks belt tension and condition of wear.Click here to enlarge imageWCRSA maintains 300 miles of major sewer trunk lines and conducts operations through nine major wastewater treatment facilities located on three river basins; the Enoree, Reedy, and Saluda rivers.
For more than eight decades, WCRSA has been committed to protecting the public health and providing the necessary infrastructure to support economic growth in the state, despite the tightening of state and federal environmental regulations. Celebrating 80 years of environmental stewardship, WCRSA's goals are to be a world-class organization and to have zero regulatory violations.
While participating in EPA's CMOM program, the authority's Tubbs Mountain Road #1 pump station was identified as one of the WCRSA's top five repeat SSO sites. Originally installed in the 1960s, this particular pump station was operating at its maximum duty cycle and exhibiting telltale signs of aging.
WCRSA made a commitment to correct the problems associated with this SSO site within a two-year period – while maintaining operation of the site during the construction and rebuilding process, so as to minimize the community's discomfort.
"This process is very difficult – and can be very expensive," said Tony Walton, WCRSA Collection System Manager.
"The one thing that makes this project specifically difficult is space," said Trent Bowles, Pump Station Supervisor with the authority. "We're in a developed area, so we have a very small footprint that we have to work within. Currently, the site is very compact, but the redesign is putting even tighter restrictions on space. It's a challenge."
Rogers and Callcott, the planning firm charged with addressing the WCRSA challenge, originally drafted the new pump station design to incorporate two 7' x 10' pump stations working within a larger footprint. However, as a new and smaller footprint was mandated, creativity was required to uncover new solutions.