Indian Creek Lift Station

 indian creek lift station photo  indian creek lift station photo  indian creek lift station photo
BACKGROUND

Aqua Indiana needed to rehabilitate the Indian Creek Lift Station in Fort Wayne to meet better safety standards in a challenging environment with limited space. The lift station was designed and built in 1967 and had a small upgrade in 1971. It serves over 16,000 customers, mostly residential, who do not want to deal with septic systems.

The station did not have 3-phase power and the cost to bring in a third phase was not justifiable. The station had been running a roto-phase system where batch capacitors provided the extra power needed, which was dangerous for the workers who serviced them and for the public who may encounter them.  Land size at the station is small, so having a full-sized control panel with aluminum backing and multiple stainless-steel boxes to separate high and low voltage components wasn’t going to work there.

LOCATION

The Indian Creek Lift Station is located in Aboite Township in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The topography of the land is wooded, with various elevation challenges, so lift stations are used to pump wastewater to the nearest gravity line several miles away.

SCOPE

The PRIMEX panel, housed in the proprietary Arc Armor® enclosure, was chosen for this project because it met all the requirements Aqua Indiana needed in the upgrade of the lift station. This innovative, multi-compartment system separates high and low voltage components in one compact panel, reducing exposure to possible arc flash and electric shock. These compartments are designed with locking mechanisms that only allow access by qualified personnel.

Aqua Indiana, Inc., Straeffer Pump & Supply, Service Electric and PRIMEX worked together to design the Arc Armor panel with a compact design, control voltage of 24 volts or less, easy-to-use pump controller (PRIMEX PC-3000XC), generator receptacle and a back-up pump controller (SJE DPC-4F). The project also included a new wet well, valve vault and pumps.

Moving forward, the rehabilitation of the Indian Creek Lift Station will be Aqua Indiana’s standard for designing new lift stations.

SPECIAL FEATURES

In typical applications, PRIMEX designs control panels to use 120 volts or less in the control compartment. Aqua wanted to take this a step further and use 24 volts or less in the control compartment. This created a safe environment for employees to troubleshoot the station without having to call an electrician each time they received an alarm, which saves time and money.

MORE DETAILS

OWNER/CLIENT
Aqua Indiana – Fort Wayne
Michelle Buffenbarger
260-312-5676

PROJECT START – END
February 2021 – June 2022

PROJECT COST
$148,000

KEY PERSONNEL
Elisha Winters- Business Development Manager
Bob Cartwright – Design Engineer
Michelle L. Buffenbarger – Field Operations Supervisor II
Ryan Nix – Service Electric of Allen County 

SERVICES PROVIDED

  • Arc Flash Study
  • Design Engineering
  • Programming
  • Panel Fabrication
  • Commissioning