Wastewater Collection & Treatment
Cherry Street Pump Station
Pump Station Improvements
Location: Penn Yan, NY
Owner: Village of Penn Yan
Lu Engineers performed study, design and construction inspection services for the Cherry Street Pump Station in Penn Yan, NY. Originally constructed in 1983, the Cherry Street Pump Station lifts the entire wastewater flow stream to the relocated treatment facility. The pump station project included a sewage grinder, two variable speed pumps and one constant speed pump, control system and standby generator.
Several equipment and operation and maintenance problems plagued the pump station including a wide range of flow (0.2 to 6.2 MGD), comminutor flooding, excessive pump maintenance and shaft vibrations (the pumps are driven with 18 foot long drive shafts), existing variable speed drives were antiquated technology and parts were hard to obtain and small wet wells which could not be isolated.
Upon investigating the problems at the pump station, Lu Engineers recommended the replacement of two of the existing pumps with dry pit submersible pumps along with new adjustable frequency drives for the new pumps. One of the existing pumps was used as a constant speed standby pump. Based on the results of vibration testing, interim corrective measures were made to reduce operational problems until new equipment could be installed. We found that shaft vibrational problems were caused by many factors, some of which included bad bearings, improper alignment and poor support structures. As part of the project, it was necessary to change the emergency generator and control equipment. The comminutor was replaced by a hydraulically driven channel grinder and provisions were made to isolate each wet well for cleaning.
As the project progressed the Village of Penn Yan added a roof replacement on the filter building next to the Cherry Street Pump Station, relocation of ventilation duct work at the pump Station, additional RBC replacement, additional Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) services, and reed beds to this project. Inspection of fiberglass alum storage tanks and secondary containment compliance showed that a short curb around the tank area and a drain leading any spill to a partioned area was necessary to comply with Chemical Bulk Storage Regulations. Inspection and construction services were also performed.
