Case Study 03.2023

Dependable Pumping
System Ensures Water
Quality and Safety for
Illinois Veterans Home
Gorman-Rupp pumps are to play a vital role in the new water treatment
system at the Quincy Veterans’ Home.
In August 2015, the discovery oflegionella bacteria at the Illinois
Veterans Home at Quincy triggered
an investigation by the Illinois
Department of Public Health (IDPH).
Tragically, the outbreak led to theloss of twelve U.S. military veteranresidents. The quaint town of Quincy,
located along the Mississippi River inIllinois, was shocked by these eventsat the facility.
Responding to the crisis, the Illinois Departmentof Veteran Affairs and the IDPH undertook acomprehensive inquiry into the causes at theveterans’ home, aiming to prevent any such tragic
incidents in the future. The result was a $300 million
project involving campus rehabilitation and newconstructions. A pivotal aspect of the project was theintegration of a Gorman-Rupp system into the designof the long-term care facility’s ultra-filtration water
treatment system.
Mickey Bernard, President and Owner of HydroKinetics
Corporation and a longstanding Gorman-Rupp© 2023 Gorman-Rupp Pumps

The Illinois Veterans’ Home is beautifully
situated on a 200 acre campus in Quincy,
Illinois. The Home provides a variety of services
to roughly 600 residents.
distributor emphasized that all the equipment for
the new treatment system was selected to ensure
dependability. “These folks gave portions of theirlives — and their lives — for the life we live today, andthey deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,”
Bernard said. “Our goal was always to make sure what
we do is going to provide the services and benefits

1Continuous Pressure and Flow
Bernard explained that the project’s design engineer
envisioned a closed-loop system that would maintaina consistent pressure of 65 to 70 PSI with 24/7
flow, minimizing the risk of stagnant zones within
the loop. A pressure relief valve at the end of thedistribution loop ensures the constant flow andconsistent pressure throughout the main loop.

Many construction
projects are inprocess across thehome’s campus.
These include the ground storage tank whichsits in front of the building housing the ultrafiltration system and future home of theGorman-Rupp booster station for supplying
on-site facilities with treated water.
that they deserve as members of our armed services
who served and fought for our nation.”
The new water treatment system design filters
influent water from the City of Quincy on theveteran’s home campus adjacent to the long-termcare facility. After influent water is treated, it isdischarged into a 20-foot-tall ground storage tanknext to the ultra-filtration system. The Gorman-Rupp
system provides a continuous flow 24 hours per
day through the distribution loop providing treatedwater to the buildings on the campus, ensuring theresidents receive treated and consistent quality water.
The Gorman-Rupp booster system influent is received
from the ground storage tank and pumped into thedistribution loop with the water returning back to theground storage tank through a Red Valve duck billedtank mixing system. The design is not complicated, butmany small considerations had to be made to ensure
the residents’ safety.

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To maintain the required steady flow, the designteam incorporated four vertical inline booster pumps
on the Gorman-Rupp pump skid. Two of thesepumps, designated as the primary duty pumps,
operate around-the-clock to deliver the desiredpressure with constant flow. A field-adjustable, timebased alternator in the booster pump controls allows
the water plant personnel to set the frequency atwhich the primary duty pumps alternate operation.
The two larger pumps on the pump skid are
dedicated to conducting a complete system flush at
two to three times the flow rate of the smaller duty
pumps. This flushing cycle schedule can be adjusted
as required in the field.
The pressure relief valve has field-adjustable pressure
control pilots to allow the water plant staff to set thedesired loop pressure in the main loop. Any excesswater not consumed by residents is redirected
through the pressure relief valve and returned to theground storage tank via the tank mixing system. “Soas long as the loop pressure is above the pressure
relief valve’s set point there’s always a constant flowin the loop,” Bernard explains. “While the branches
off the loop will be dead ended, there won’t be any
dead-end areas within the main loop where water
can become stagnant as long as the loop pressure is
above the PRV set point. The recirculated flow also
helps ensure the water in the loop has the desired
chemistry and residual.”
The final design of the system guarantees anuninterrupted flow of water, consistent pressure, andthe desired water quality for the residents.

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Maintenance and Automation
Due to limited available space for the new water
treatment plant, the Gorman-Rupp design team
faced the challenge of selecting a pump skid designthat accommodated both functional requirements
and ease of maintenance. The vertical arrangementof all pumps on the skid was chosen for easy access,eliminating the need to navigate around horizontal
motors in the pump room. While small pumps andmotors can be maintained by a single individual,
larger pumps may require two people.
For Bernard, one of the most crucial elementsof successful operation is a locally available andfactory-certified customer service organization forequipment on the project, including the pumps,controls, chemical feed, and automatic valves. TheHydro-Kinetics team is uniquely qualified to providemechanical, electrical and instrumentation field
services for all the equipment involved in the project.
With the pumps serving as a critical component ofwater delivery to the residents, the project’s designteam selected Webtrol pumps for the pump skid.
Located in St. Louis, Webtrol’s close proximity toHydro-Kinetics’ office allows any pump failures
or issues to be addressed very quickly, including
potential same-day installations of replacement
pumps. Webtrol’s ability to provide the highest level ofcustomer service, Bernard explained, adds even morepeace of mind. “I’ve had instances where communities
have called us up and said, ‘Hey, we just had a pumpgo out,’ and the staff at Webtrol will build us a pumpthat morning and they’ll have it on their dock by 3:00
that afternoon, ready to go. It’s a great little company
that matches well with Gorman-Rupp’s commitment
to their customers.”
As the project’s design progressed, automation
became a focus. Bernard noted that monitoring
the booster pump discharge flow rate was a criticaloperational metric. “If the load in the system —people are using water — exceeds what one small
booster pump can do,” Bernard said, “we’ll turn a2
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The isometric drawing, supplied by Poepping,
Stone, Back & Associates, describes the layout/
flow of water through the ultra-filtration system.
The booster station will ship from Gorman-Rupp
as a complete pre-tested package, delivered onsite and ready for plug-and-play connection topiping and power.
second booster pump on to ensure the distribution
system has continuous flow.”
In instances where the two smaller duty pumps,
capable of delivering 250 to 300 gallons per minuteof flow in parallel, struggle to meet demand, theGorman-Rupp controls automatically engage
the larger pumps to match system requirements.
Working in conjunction with the Gorman-Rupp
pump controls, a Primex SCADA system will monitor
and archive system parameters, including thedischarge flow and pressure of the booster pumpskids. If the booster pumps fail to attain the desired
discharge pressure during operation, the SCADA
system generates an alarm that alerts the operations
staff at the veterans’ home. Additionally, the PrimexiControl SCADA system issues alarm notifications
for conditions such as excessively high or low
storage tank levels, alarm conditions within the Ultra
Filtration System, or any booster pump failures. TheSCADA system timestamps each alarm event and© 2014 ©
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in this project. “What was foremost in all our thoughtprocesses was that we have to get this right forour veterans,” Bernard said. “There’s a high sense of
responsibility on the whole team.”
The last structural beam of the project was installed
January 12, 2023. The long-term care facility forwhich the pump system was designed is targeted forcompletion in February 2024.

About Gorman-Rupp Pumps
Established in 1886, the Illinois Veterans Homeat Quincy is the largest and oldest in the stateand one of the oldest in the country.
archives this data for future reference. The selected
iControl system allows the plant personnel real-timeaccess to SCADA data from anywhere via the cloudbased iControl platform.

Do Everything Right
The Illinois Veterans Home project carries profoundemotional weight, and not without reason. Owing
to the project’s significance and the respect owed
to military veterans, Bernard underscored theparamount importance of getting everything right

For more than ninety years Gorman-Rupp Pumps
USA has manufactured pumps for municipal, sewage,industrial, mining, construction, petroleum, OEM,government, agriculture and fire markets.
The company’s extensive line of pump products includes
self-priming centrifugal pumps, standard centrifugal
pumps, submersible pumps, rotary gear pumps,
diaphragm pumps, engine-driven pumps, and priming
assist pumps. In addition, Gorman-Rupp manufactures
a complete line of state-of-the-art packaged lift stations
and booster stations that include pumps, motors,controls, piping, accessories and enclosures.
For more information, contact Cyndi Hoffner,
Advertising Manager, Gorman-Rupp Pumps USA; 600
South Airport Road, Mansfield, OH 44903-7831; Phone:419-755-1011; email cyndi.hoffner@gormanrupp.com;
www.grpumps.com.

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