Able No. 3 Storm Water Pumping Station

This project was the construction of the new Able No. 3 storm water pump station and the subsequent demolition of the existing Able No. 2 & 3 pump stations.  This project includes four concrete volute pumps with 3,750HP, 4,160v motors, variable frequency drives, and a total pumping capacity of 880,000 GPM.  This is one of only three such CVP Pump Stations in the U.S. at the time, two of which were constructed by BAR.  These pumps discharge into four 108” transitioning to 114” below ground pipelines totaling 4,430 LF that run up and over the Trinity River levee and connect to a stilling basin inside the river’s levees.  The new pump station and the existing pump stations share the same channel for intake requiring BAR to install substantial earthen retaining berms and sheet piling to prevent the new work from flooding while keeping the existing stations in service.  The depth of the pump station’s excavation required vertical shoring and tie-backs.  BAR used an on-site concrete batch plant to produce the over 40,000 cubic yards of concrete required for this project.  The intake side of the pump station includes a trash rack screening system, 30 foot tall cast in place retaining walls, concrete paved channel, and stabilization of the existing Trinity River levee.  The above grade portion of this pump station includes extensive architectural elements such as aluminum composite wall panels, glass curtain walls, translucent polycarbonate panels, and standing seam roof and wall panels.  Functionally, this facility is controlled locally or remotely by SCADA.