Non-clogging pumps support stormwater management in Ohio

Upgrade pump capacity at a historic pump station

Located on the Old River Channel close to Cleveland’s lakefront, the Division Avenue Pump Station has long delivered clean water to Northeast Ohioans. When owner and operator NEORSD approached KSB, the goal was to upgrade the plant’s capacity to deal with increasingly heavy stormwater flooding. Additional pumps were required for a raw sewer and stormwater treatment process. 

Just as urgently, the wastewater facility needed a solution for persistent clogging, caused by debris including clothing, shoes and cans, which affected the efficiency of the system, resulting in high maintenance and service costs. 

Beyond the KSB components supplied for this wastewater treatment project, the station operators relied on KSB’s expertise in diagnosing the cause of the clogging and delivering a plan to eliminate it.

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) represents Ohio’s largest district and operates three major wastewater treatment facilities around the city of Cleveland. The Sewer District serves one million customers and treats a total of 200 million gallons of wastewater every day – adding up to tens of billions of gallons each year. 

Through wastewater treatment, solutions to stormwater problems and environmental services, NEORSD works to reduce pollution and improve water quality, which naturally impacts quality of life for residents.

Eliminate constant clogging without a massive redesign

Due to increased volume, the District Avenue station needed a capacity upgrade to improve stormwater management. However, the larger issue was clogging. Wastewater entering the facility was heavily laden with oversized solids and massive quantities of stringy material. The presence of solids was compounded by frequent deluges of debris-laden stormwater. When the heavy rains came, solids would regularly bypass the coarse screening and clog the pumps. Items discovered in the station’s pumps included clothing, wood, cans, and shoes. 

The pump station required an engineered solution to the challenging issue of constant clogging, which was also occurring due to certain aspects of the pump station’s design. As the original pump manufacturer, KSB was tasked with providing a solution that did not include major modifications to the historic pump station building.

Extensive analyses and three Amarex KRT pumps with D-max impellers

Before selecting the pumps, due diligence was essential. KSB’s collaboration with NEORSD started with a system efficiency analysis. Prior to recommending a solution, a KSB process engineering expert from Halle, Germany, monitored the system and carried out an in-depth analysis to ensure every aspect of the station was considered.

Over the course of several months, KSB continued to monitor the pumps and carry out regular inspections to ensure the system operated efficiently, attending several meetings and site visits to fully understand the process.

For the long-term solution to the plant’s clogging issues, three new pumps were installed in a raw, untreated sewage application. All three were Amarex KRT submersible dry installed pumps. These pumps were provided as a custom-engineered prototype for the District Avenue Pump Station and its special challenges. They feature a unique non-clog,   semi-open, radial multi-vane impeller with hardened edges and an impeller plate including a D-flector component designed to ensure solids, rags and other materials are channeled into the impeller, for a smooth and efficient flow to the outlet.

Further recommendations from KSB to reduce clogging included replacing the screens in accordance with Hydraulic Institute (HI) recommendations and implementing measures to raise the water level and reduce instances of air intake. Strategic pump operating cycles were also recommended to deter the accumulation of solids and debris at the pump inlets and produce a regular ‘flushing’ effect.

After implementing the recommended changes to the process, pump sequencing, and installation of the custom-engineered KRT D-max pump type, instances of clogging became non-existent. The solution provided a marked improvement in reliability and efficiency, and the customer has been able to reduce maintenance and service costs considerably.

• Plant: District Avenue Pump Station
• Customer: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
• Application: Wastewater Treatment
• Project year: 2019 to 2021
• Products: Amarex KRT pumps with D-max impellers