Case Study 02.2015“Boosting” Water Pressure
Flow Rate for “Booming”
Home Region Demand:
Projected growth leads to the development of anadvanced water flow booster lift station technology
system from Gorman-Rupp.
The Problem:
With a population of approximately 35,394 basedon the 2010 census (98% urban, 2% rural), Orion
Township is a fast-growing northern suburb ofDetroit, Michigan. Commonly referred to as “LakeOrion,” the township promotes a motto of “Where
living is a vacation.”
Orion Township receives treated water from theGreat Lakes Water Authority water system and is a
growing community with projections of significant
new development. There is a portion of the Townshipthat was experiencing low pressure conditions at highflow conditions as the water supply could not provide
sustained pressure at these high flow conditions.
This low water pressure issue was expected to get
more severe in the future in this area of the Townshipwith booming home builds projected. The Townshipneeded to boost the water pressure to this area of theTownship during periods of high flows to meet current
and long term customer demands.

Pressure booster station pump configuration
included: (1) Jockey Pump, (2) Duty Pumps, and(1) High Flow Pump to accommodate long-termwater usage over 60 PSI.

The Solution:

acceptable pressures to accommodate the anticipatedgrowth in this area of the Township.

The new Baldwin Road water booster station wasinstalled to boost water pressure to this area of theTownship during periods of high flow demands. During
periods of low flow and acceptable water supply
pressure, the water booster station pumps would sit
idle with supply water flowing through a piped bypass
within the booster station – saving energy costs.
The sustainable goal was to supply quality water atDuBois-Cooper, Gorman-Rupp’s Michigan
representative, and Gorman-Rupp worked closelywith the design engineer (OHM Advisors of Livonia,Michigan) during the planning and design of the water
booster station equipment to develop a progressivesolution. As part of the team, Gorman-Rupp was able
to offer their vast experience with pumping systems
toward the solution. The end result was a base-© 2015 Gorman-Rupp Pumps

1Additionally, a customized control panel wasprovided by Gorman-Rupp that included variablefrequency drives (VFD’s) and a PLC with operatorinterface. The booster station operates off thepressure in the stations suction and discharge
headers. The control panel also included features forcommunicating with the owner’s centralized SCADA
system to monitor and control the site.

Conclusion:

Customized control panel included variablefrequency drives (VFD’s), PLC with operator
interface and operation off suction/dischargepressure transducers.

mounted water booster station with (4) pumps andfull automated controls that operated off the water
system pressure.
The water booster station was successfully approvedand comprised of the following key elements:

The collective effort put forth by Dubois-Cooper
Associates, and Gorman-Rupp’s sales, engineering andproduction teams was able to provide an effective
pressure booster system. The new station will provide
many years of service to sustain the region’s watersupply needs over 60 PSI.
According to Bill Ireland, Public Works Director for
the Charter Township of Orion, “Our municipality
represents the highest point north in Detroit’s watersystem, so the water flow rates weren’t sufficientenough even at our current levels. Given the region’s
proximity to the General Motors’ plant, and ensuing
new bedroom community population growth, thenew water pressure booster station system will allow
us to expand into the future seamlessly.”

With the water booster station targeted to be built ina park near community recreation fields, the townshipconstructed a mixed-use building which accommodated
the station equipment and control panel on one sideand public bathrooms for the park on the other side.
The Gorman-Rupp water booster station equipment
consists of a base-mounted system with (4) pumps,
pressure relief valve pipe loop, bypass pipe loop withcheck valve, flow meter and a control panel. The station
includes the following pumps:• (1) jockey pump with ½ HP motor – 20 GPM• (2) duty pumps with 10 HP motors – 200 GPM each
• (1) high service pump with 50 HP motor – 1,850 GPM

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Mixed-use building near community recreation
fields accommodates the water booster stationequipment and control panel on one side andpublic bathrooms for the park on the other side.

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Gorman-Rupp
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Ireland also noted that delivery, training andinstallation service on the project was deliveredon schedule, as the system is expected to be in fulloperation by the end of 2015.

About the Product:
Gorman-Rupp Pressure Booster Stations are available
in a myriad of sizes and configurations to meet justabout any municipal water supply need. Pump flows
range from 50-to-7,000 GPM on single pump operation,
and are engineered to give you trouble-free operation
backed by a five-year warranty on equipment.
In addition to our many standard designs for new
installations, Gorman-Rupp also custom designs forexisting installations with minimum hook-up time. Basemounted pump stations are available with a variety ofpumps to match system requirements. For consistently
heavy flows, additional pumps may be added. For highhead/low flow, we offer multi-staged designs.

About The Gorman-Rupp Company
The Gorman-Rupp Company is a leading manufacturerof pumps and pumping systems for the municipal,water, wastewater, sewage, industrial, construction,
petroleum and OEM markets. The company’s
Engineered Systems operation also manufactures afull line of water pressure booster stations including
pumps, motors, valves and controls−all housed inweather-proof fiberglass enclosures−meeting about
any municipal water supply need.
Ultimately, Gorman-Rupp prides itself on manufacturing
and delivering the right pump for the job.

GORMAN-RUPP PUMPS | P.O. BOX 1217 | MANSFIELD, OHIO 44901-1217 | USA | 419.755.1011 | GRSALES@GORMANRUPP.COM | GRPUMPS.COM2
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Gorman-Rupp
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