Lift stations are an invaluable tool in speeding up the operation of wastewater treatment plants, while lowering their ongoing repair and maintenance costs. What do they bring to wastewater plants, and how do they work? Let’s take a look.
What Is a Lift Station?
A lift station allows for efficient movement of wastewater from lower elevations to higher levels within a treatment plant.
When transporting wastewater to the plant, it makes sense to use downward-sloping pipes so that gravity does most of the work. However, this typically leads the water to end up at the lowest point in the treatment plant – so how do you get the water back to higher elevations for treatment and redistribution?
Pipe-based solutions could be used, but the setup is complicated, and the system would have to be dug up whenever repairs are needed. So, instead, lift stations are used. These are aboveground solutions for moving large amounts of wastewater up from lower elevations.
How Do Lift Stations Work?
When the wastewater first enters the main wet well, it enters the first phase of processing, and the solid materials are removed. Once the liquid in the wet well reaches a certain level, it needs to be moved on for further processing.
The lift station utilizes water pressure to force the liquid upwards, into neighboring tanks for more treatment. There are two basic types of lift stations, with different methods of operation.
The Two Types of Lift Stations
1 – Dry Wells
Dry well lift stations are in a separate location, near to but not actually in the tanks being affected. Dry wells may be underground or within a sheltered building. However, this does tend to make them more difficult to work on or perform lift station repair.
2 – Wet Wells (aka submersible pumps)
In a wet well set up, the lift station pump is directly inside the wastewater tank. The pump is submerged and uses an electric motor to push the water up and through the pipelines to the next treatment station. Lift station repair is typically easier and safer with wet wells.
FloRight Keeps Your Lift Stations in Working Order
FloRight Pump & Controls has decades of combined experience installing, repairing, and maintaining pumping systems across Arizona and around the United States. We frequently work with wastewater plants and handle lift station repairs, making us an excellent partner for your own treatment plant.