EPA Project Uses Cornell Pumps To Re-Route Portage Creek During Soil Decontamination
The Problem: A community in Southwest Michigan had discovered severe PCB contamination in a creek flowing through the city. A nearby paper mill, long since closed down, was suspected as the source.
The Solution: The EPA Region 5 commissioned a project to by-pass segments of the creek, in order for the soil to be removed and re-mediated. In order to do so, the creek had to be dammed up, a section at a time, and the flow had to be by-passed, downstream, below the area where the soil removal was taking place. This was not an easy task, given the amount, and fluctuations, of flow that the creek experienced in any given weather condition.
The company contracted to the project stepped in and provided multiple Cornell pumps for the 2012 season, and for the unusually wet 2013 season.
A combination of three Cornell Model 16NHG22 pumps, one Model 12NNF, and numerous 4” & 6” Sound-Attenuated diesel driven units were used – enough to control the 9,000 GPM flow of the creek.
The creek was remediated in 7 segments, beginning in July, 2012 through October 2012, and again in March 2013 through October 2013.
While the project was sized for a flow of 9,000 GPM, the wet 2013 season required the pumps to attain 11,300 GPM.
It is estimated that a total of 5.94 billion gallons of water, enough to fill over 8,950 Olympic-sized swimming pools, were pumped during the process.
The Senior Branch Sales Representative for the contractor in charge of the project commented, “The durability, and reliability of the Cornell Pumps, met, or exceeded our expectations throughout the Project.”
