By Lucy Ogden, Bedford Pumps
Bedford Pumps Ltd. have successfully completed the commissioning of two of their fish-friendly pump sets at Pitt Polder Pumping Station in British Columbia, Canada.
Pitt Polder Pumping Station is located within the city of Pitt Meadows, which lies at the confluence of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers. Approximately 86 percent of the city is located within a flood plain and the city relies on a continuous dike system, comprising of a network of ditches, flood boxes, and pumping stations for flood protection. This system was built as a response to the devasting Fraser River Flood of 1948, one of the largest recorded floods in the lower mainland.
The original Pitt Polder Pumping Station was constructed in 1952 and consisted of two vertical pumps with no backup power. The station had since reached an end to its service life and was allocated federal funds towards the $6.9 million cost of a new station as it is an essential piece of infrastructure for the local agricultural industry. The new pumping station will provide protection to 1,650 hectares.
PITT POLDER PUMPING STATION:
UP CLOSE
Pitt Polder Pump Station is an essential piece of infrastructure for disaster mitigation and the local agricultural industry of Pitt Meadows. The area is divided into four drainage areas served by six pump stations. In addition, the new station will provide annual energy efficiency and reduce emissions, as well as reduced operating, maintenance, and repair costs.
GOING Fish-friendly
Bedford Pumps, manufacturers of robust pumping plant for the flood control industry, supplied two of their Submersible Axial fish-friendly pump sets for the new Pitt Polder Pumping Station. The pumps are part of Bedford Pumps fish-friendly pump range, which have been rated as “excellent” in an independent trial designed to assess their ability to comply with legislation brought into force to tackle the rapid decline in global populations of the European eel.
The two pump sets will each provide a duty of 56,427 gallons per minute at 21 feet head. Each submersible pump set includes an integral 465 horsepower, 16-pole motor suitable for operation on a variable speed drive.
BUILT FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS
Bedford Pumps supplied and commissioned the pumps with CSA approval. The canisters, which are configured for below floor discharge, were manufactured in Canada to Bedford Pumps’ exact specification.
Bedford Pumps is a leading supplier of fish-friendly pumps not only to the U.K. market but also to a thriving export market which currently comprises 27 percent of all installations. For Canada specifically this is the company’s sixth order to date with the very first order being delivered seven years ago to another pumping station in the region, Hatzic Lake, in order to assist with annual winter flooding problems along the Fraser River associated with Freshet.
“Ensuring our community and vital farm land is well-protected against the risk of flooding is an important council priority,” says Pitt Meadows Mayor Bill Dingwall. “This new pump station is a critical component of our city’s diking and drainage system and we thank all who have worked on this important project. Its reconstruction provides enhanced safety and flood mitigation to over 1,650 hectares of agricultural land.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lucy OgdeN is marketing manager for Bedford Pumps Ltd., a flexible, highly experienced British manufacturer of robust pumping plant for the water, wastewater, flood control, and dock industries. With pump ranges from typically 7,925 to 317,007 gallons per minute at heads between 9.8 and 328 feet, the pumps are designed for the most arduous and demanding applications and the brand is synonymous for efficiency, reliability, and longevity. For more information, visit www.bedfordpumps.co.uk.
MODERN PUMPING TODAY, August 2021
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