How KSB ensured water supply in New York

Clean water for the Big Apple: How KSB ensured water supply in New York

New York’s most important drinking water tunnel had to be emptied for repairs - quickly and reliably! KSB supplied five of the most powerful submersible motor pump sets ever produced by KSB.

The project: Supplying New York with drinking water

New York, a city with millions of inhabitants, needs huge amounts of clean drinking water around the clock. More than half of this water is transported to the city via the Rondout-West Branch Tunnel of the Delaware Aqueduct.

This 71-kilometre tunnel has a natural gradient which allows around 37 cubic metres of fresh water to be conveyed to the city every second.


The challenge: Securing water supply in New York

To secure New York’s drinking water supply for the coming years, the tunnel had to be rehabilitated. This, of course, needed to be done as quickly as possible to minimise the time during which the tunnel’s downtime had to be compensated for by other inflow channels.

Pumping the tunnel empty as quickly as possible demanded extremely powerful pumps, and these also had to be very reliable to minimise the risk of failure. 


The solution: Submersible pumps for the Delaware Aqueduct Tunnel

KSB installed five of the most powerful single-entry submersible borehole pump sets ever produced by KSB. The output of each pump is around 2,000 cubic metres an hour at a maximum rated head of 320 metres. The drives employed are 4-pole electric motors with a supply voltage of 4,160 volts.


Data I Facts I Figures

KSB products used

5 x BSFi 586/5 + EMD NQ 200-416 with special plugged cable connections, suction shroud, and an inducer to meet lowest NPSH requirements

KSB - one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial valves and pumps

Founded in 1871 in Frankenthal (Germany), KSB has been one of the leading suppliers of pumps and industrial valves for over 150 years. With more than 15,000 employees worldwide and its own sales and marketing, manufacturing facilities and service operations, KSB develops and produces custom-fit pumps for various applications.

As an experienced pump manufacturer, its product portfolio includes building and industrial technology, water transport, wastewater treatment and power plant processes. Thanks to innovative research and development, KSB can meet the most diverse requirements of customers. Benefit from many years of experience and technical expertise as a renowned pump manufacturer.

KSB pump manufacturers: the best solution for your plant
Industrial pumps and valves from KSB cover a wide range of applications and are highly energy-efficient. Products convince with the most innovative technology as well as with systems that have been tried and tested for many years - including the Etanorm water pump. Achieving more than 1.5 million sales worldwide, Etanorm is the most successful standard water pump. With KSB spare parts and services.

KSB ensures the operational reliability of its industrial pumps and valves. The KSB success formula for high-performance pumps lies in the technological strength in hydraulics, materials and automation.

Competent service right from the start
The numerous production facilities ensure that KSB as a pump manufacturer can guarantee customer proximity and first-class service. The experienced specialists are certified to ensure excellent quality and extensive experience. KSB Service takes care of the commissioning, inspection, servicing and maintenance of your pumps, valves and complete systems directly on site.  KSB also provide you with spare parts quickly. This means you get the best service directly from your pump manufacturer.