In May 2009, a new fiberglass wet well and valve vault were installed as a lift station for the Mountain Falls subdivision in Pahrump, NV. Ultimately, the Jane Avenue Lift Station will help transport wastewater for the development that will include 4,200 single-family homes, a day care center, a water park, a large recreational gymnasium, a casino and a church.
This recent Nevada installation is an example of a successful partnership between Xerxes Corp. and Romtec Utilities, both exhibiting at WEFTEC ‘09. Xerxes specializes in fiberglass tanks and structures, while Romtec is known for its package lift stations.
Previously, Oregon-based Romtec had used only concrete for the structural components of its pre-engineered package lift stations, said Mark Sheldon, the company’s vice president of engineering, marketing and sales. Now Xerxes fiberglass products are part of Romtec’s expanded product offering.
“Until Xerxes, fiberglass couldn’t compete structurally with concrete. In our view, Xerxes’ quality was a dramatic step forward for fiberglass in the water and wastewater market,” Sheldon said.
Xerxes has been well-known as a major tank supplier to the petroleum industry for decades. As of 2008, more than 150,000 of its fiberglass tanks had been installed at petroleum storage facilities.
When it came to deciding what product the developer wanted for this new residential and commercial subdivision, a fiberglass wet well was the obvious choice, according to Frank Strand, American West’s vice president of land development.
“This is the first lift station we’ve done. I’d seen another one, a concrete one, and I knew that wasn’t the way we wanted to go. I’d done my homework. We were much more confident in a ribbed fiberglass tank,” Strand said.