The other three major pumps in the pumphouse are a design of Meckum 

 Engineering Co. of Chicago, Illinois and have an 88-inch impeller. The 

 design of the Meckum pump differs from the conventional -type dredge pump 

 in that the pump liners are made up of a number of subassemblies which 

 can be removed and worn sections replaced. The impeller is also of a 

 radical design in that it has only four impeller blades with a tip angle 

 of 19 degrees, and has a capacity for handling 42,000 gallons per minute 

 at approximately full load operation. 



The pumps are located in the pumphouse to eliminate as many pipe 

 bends and directional changes as possible. Auxiliary equipment includes 

 three sump pumps for discharging leakage from various pumps, the surge 

 well, and ground moisture entering the pit. A large switchboard is 

 located on the upper level of the pumphouse. This switchboard contains 

 all necessary instruments, switches and controls for operation of the 

 plant as well as indicators, meters and gauges for voltage, amperage, 

 speed, kilowatts and pressures throughout the pumphouse system. Just out- 

 side the pumphouse is a bank of transformers for feeding current to the 

 General Electric induction-type motors and other appurtenant facilities. 



The surge well is located slightly above and behind the pumphouse in 

 a large open pit. The well is a structural steel rectangular tank, 30 

 feet deep, 10 feet wide and 12 feet 8 inches long, divided into three 

 sections consisting of the sand section, the water section and the over- 

 flow. The tank shell is made up of 0.875-inch plate; its base rests on the 

 bottom of the surge pit. To protect the well, 2X2 angles surround the 

 entrances on the water side. On the opposite two sides are shoulders of 

 sand and piling, thus actually making two separate pits, one each side of 

 the surge well. 



Operation of the surge well follows: sand in suspension being sluiced 

 down into the surge pit or forced down by the eductor enters the pit and 

 flows down to the surge well by gravity where it enters through slide 

 gates. Three gates are located on each side of the surge well at different 

 heights, and can be adjusted to allow for the flow that can be handled by 

 the intake pump No. 3. When the sand in suspension drops to the base of 

 the well it creates great turbulence, and is drawn into a 36-inch intake 

 line to pump No. 3. If the suspended material is too thick for satisfac- 

 tory handling by pump No. 3, it can be thinned by two methods. One method 

 is to open one or more valves on the four 4-inch lines which enter the 

 surge well to a depth even with the first slide gate. This allows water 

 from the high-pressure line to flow directly into the bottom of the surge 

 well, creating high turbulence and thinning the mixture. This operation 

 is used mainly when a high level of sand and water is reached in the sand 

 section and the turbulence is lost, thus allowing the sand to settle and 

 pile up about the intake line. If the sand is settling in the surge pit 

 around the sand gates, the Hendy Giants located at either end of the pit 

 can be opened and water jetted into the sanded area, stirring it up and 

 clearing the sanded gates, thus thinning the mixture. 



