Draw a box around a lift station in a civil layout and it’s simple to think of it as a self-contained piece of equipment.
In reality, water comes from somewhere, flows through the station, and goes on to another location. It also depends on the structural elements including power, controls, and site access.
If you are looking for the top lift station designers, it is useful to ask whether engineers think about those interfaces as well as what happens inside the station.
Image credit: romtecutilities.com
Start upstream from the Wet Well
Consider a new development of residential homes as an example. The water is moved from the collection system to the lift station. The elevation of the station and the inbound flow conditions determine the amount of waste the station is capable of handling.
Once wastewater has reached a wet well then a new set of engineering decisions is taken. Pumps, pipes and valves as well as structural components, controls, and perhaps auxiliary equipment must be suited to the application.
Romtec Utilities designs wastewater systems that are suitable for commercial, municipal and industrial sites as well in development applications.
This project-specific approach is crucial because changing the process upstream could change what the pumping facility requires to do.
Be sure to follow the water beyond the pumps
The engineering issue doesn’t cease once the liquid is removed from the well. The pumping system needs to move it in accordance with the hydraulic conditions of the downstream system. The required flow and head requirements affect the selection of pumps and station arrangement.
That connection is particularly important when evaluating the best wastewater designers. The pump might have impressive specs on its own but its performance requires to be able to function within the entire hydraulic system.
Romtec Utilities can design the electrical, mechanical, structural and communications elements of a pumping system as an integrated system, helping in coordinating the equipment to meet the conditions established for the specific project.
Stormwater is a network that has its own connections
Stormwater creates a new infrastructure puzzle. The runoff from the surface that is developed can be able to enter an infrastructure for collection and then pass through drainage, detention or flood control. Where pumping is required, the station is a link within the larger stormwater strategy.
It is important for organizations looking for the most effective stromwater designers to consider the specific conditions on the site, the rates of flow, head specifications, environmental factors and the stormwater plans in general.
Romtec Utilities supplies customized stormwater pumping systems for residential, commercial industrial, municipal, and residential projects rather than relying on the same configuration for each application.
Coordination Extends Above Ground Too
Some interfaces don’t require piping. Electrical services must support the equipment. Control and communication systems need to be designed to meet the requirements of the project. Contractors require plans and documentation. Installation, startup, and service may require physical access.
The documentation of the system is particularly important because these connections could involve multiple disciplines and participants. Romtec Utilities provides complete plan sets and associated project documentation and can support its systems with initial testing, startup and commissioning.
Look Outside the Station Boundary
Even when a lift facility is built correctly, it may remain a component of an uncoordinated plan if the external connections are not appropriately taken care of.
The water is a good design guide. Where is it from? What are the conditions under which it will reach the station? What happens while it’s there? Where does it go following? What infrastructure will allow the whole process to work?
The answers to these questions transform the concept of lift stations from a basic equipment task into an intricate infrastructure plan.