Case Study 206

Gorman-Rupp Pumps
Up Efficiency at Oconee
County Quarry
Oconee County Quarry, outside ofWalhalla, South Carolina, is a countyowned rock quarry, providing morethan 2,500 tons of a variety of crushedrock daily for county needs as well
as for contractors and the generalpublic. If rainwater and runoff fromnearby springs are allowed to collectin the quarry, operations slow down
or even stop, making water removal a
constant necessity.
Since digging began in 1979, Oconee County had
relied on a single S4D1 10 HP electric submersible
pump to keep the water out the bottom of the quarry.
In periods of heavy rains, the quarry utilized two sideby-side pumps to keep the water at a manageablelevel and the digging operation ongoing.
At the time, the pumps were initially placed at thequarry’s lowest point, a natural gathering area forwater. The walls were 75’ high and a 10 HP pump
was adequate to drive water out of the site. Water
was pumped up the side of the quarry through a4” line and sent another 50’ to a retaining pond on
county grounds. As the quarry grew deeper, thewalls climbed higher. The two 10 HP pumps were still
strong tools, but the distance was affecting efficiencyof the water withdrawal and subsequently, level ofwater in the quarry.
Oconee County Quarry Foreman Mickey Kerr found© 2007-2017 Gorman-Rupp Pumps

The new 65 HP submersible pumps can more
efficiently move water up the 200’ cliff andanother 100’ to the retaining pond.
that the pumps were straining to pump water theadditional distance. “The older pumps were stillworking well, but the effectiveness of pumping
the water up the steeper walls was not as strong

1as it had been in the past due to the added verticaldistance,” said Kerr. Technicians at Oconee CountyQuarry were pleased with the performance of theoriginal Gorman-Rupp 10 HP pump, so they turned toGorman-Rupp to provide a solution for their everdeepening rock quarry. Through their experience
with the existing pump, and after additional research,
Kerr knew he could count on Gorman-Rupp pumps
to hold up to the rigors of a dusty, demanding andconstantly changing quarry.
“As we went deeper into this quarry, we had to stepup our pump size to get the task accomplished,” saidKerr. “To get the job done right, we decided on a pairof Gorman-Rupp’s 65 HP electric submersible pumps
to replace the two 10 HP pumps.” The pumps, locatedin the customer’s pit in a sump hole at the baseof now a 200’ high wall, are both attached to float
switches that power up the pumps when the waterreaches a certain level. The 65 HP S Series pumps
easily transmit water the 300 total feet, with morethan 200’ being straight up the wall. Furthermore,bigger pumps have benefited the county by pumping
more water out of the quarry, lowering the customer’s
overall operating costs and allowing them to dig
deeper without having to invest in additional pumps
in the near future.

Kerr selected electric pumps to allow water to bepumped anytime of the day or night, and to reallocate
a worker who would be responsible for refuelingdiesel engines. “Being a county-owned entity, we had
to stay within a budget, while also finding the mosteffective manner in which to keep the water at a lowlevel. The electric pumps best suited our needs. Morewater is now pumped faster than ever before.
The majority of the water is sent to a retaining pondon county property, but Kerr also utilizes the water
for several applications throughout the quarry. “Ina mining situation, having a water truck is a must.
We fill the truck with water daily and continually
spray water on the roads leading into and out of
the quarry to keep the dust to a minimum. We arealso in the process of filtering the water in order touse it to cool the oil pumps that are used in our rockcrushing operation.”
Additionally, Kerr understood that by choosing
Gorman-Rupp pumps, uptime would be maximized.
Today, 18 Oconee County employees are involvedin the quarry operation to handle any problems andkeep this county enterprise efficient. “Another reason
we chose these pumps is the service we’ve gotten
from our distributor, Interstate Equipment,” Kerr said.
“Interstate has helped us get more than 15 years ofoperation from our first 10 HP pump and they are very
attentive when it comes to getting parts or service forall of the pumps used here at the quarry. Interstatealso helped train our staff to obtain the most out of
the new 65 HP pumps for years to come.”

About The Gorman-Rupp Company

Gorman-Rupp S Series Widebase submersible
pumps offer high-volume operation,
heads up to 600’ and stand up to the mostdemanding conditions.

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.

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