Pump Station Tour
The South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Districts (SCCLSD) uses gravity, vacuum and low pressure grinder pump sewers to collect wastewater from customers in a ratio of 60%, 30% and 10% respectively. However, 95% of all users are also served by major pump stations and pressure sewers that deliver sewage to the Treatment Plant. Depending on a customer's location, wastewater may flow through a series of several gravity and pressure sewers before delivery to treatment.
The different kinds of sewers built were cost effective for each area served. There are 833 vacuum valves and 4 vacuum pump stations together with 23 miles of vacuum sewers. Pressure sewers represent 15 miles of piping and serve 10 major pump stations, 12 smaller pump stations, 16 duplex grinder pump stations, and 128 other grinder pumps. A total of 72 miles of gravity public sewers plus 50 miles of private sewer laterals are also in use.
With all that said, it really comes down to two different kinds
of pump stations that we use at SCCLSD, Gravity and Vacuum. Included in gravity
pump stations are grinder pumps because they collect the sewage or wastewater
by gravity and then grind up the solids to make it possible to pump the sewage
through a smaller diameter pipe. This makes it easier for installation and
more cost effective. Let's take a look at the two different kinds of pump
stations.