Pump and Lift Station

Pump and lift station design in Texas

A lift station collects wastewater and pumps it to a higher point when gravity cannot carry it to the next sewer or the plant. A booster pump station raises water pressure for part of a drinking water system. MES designs both for developers, utilities and municipalities across Texas.

Lift station design covers the wet well, pumps, controls, valves, force main, backup power and site. We prepare the construction documents, the engineering report and the state submittal. We size each station for full buildout, then check how it runs on day one, when flows are low.

Texas rules for lift stations and pump stations

TCEQ's design rules for lift stations and force mains are in 30 TAC Chapter 217, Subchapter C. A few of them shape every design:

• At least two pumps. With the largest pump out of service, the station must still handle the peak flow.
• A force main at least 4 inches in diameter. TCEQ may approve a smaller one, in writing, where grinder pumps are used. At a two-pump station, flow in it must reach at least 3 feet per second with one pump running.
• An alarm system that reports power outages, pump failures and high water levels to a location that is watched around the clock.
• Protection from overflow during power failures, for at least the longest outage in the past 60 months or 20 minutes, whichever is longer. The outage records come from the electric utility.
• A site in a right-of-way or permanent easement, reachable by truck in a 25-year, 24-hour rain, behind an intruder-resistant fence or approved enclosure.

Lift station plans go to TCEQ through the same summary transmittal letter as other collection system work, unless a city with TCEQ approval authority reviews them.

Water booster stations fall under 30 TAC Chapter 290. Where a system serves more than one pressure plane, the rule calls for booster pumps that take suction from a storage tank, unless TCEQ accepts another setup. Pumps that draw straight from the distribution system must keep at least 20 psi on the suction line and shut off automatically below it. Section 290.45 sets minimum pump capacity at each pump station or pressure plane. Booster stations are part of our water engineering work.

The city or district that will own the station often has its own standards for equipment and controls. We design to those as well.

Common problems and how we solve them

Low flows in the early years. A station sized for buildout can hold wastewater too long while a development fills in. It turns septic, and odor follows. We set wet well levels and check force main detention time across the full range of expected flows.

Power. A long outage on record drives the size of the backup system. We get the electric utility's records early, then compare generators, alternate power, bypass pumps and gravity relief. Under TCEQ rules, storage cannot be the only answer.

Odor and corrosion. TCEQ makes owners control odor at lift stations and force mains. We plan ventilation, materials and odor control in the design, not after the first complaint.

Floods. A Texas lift station must be designed to withstand and operate during a 100-year flood. We place electrical gear, controls and vents so the station keeps running.

In Milford, we designed a 15,000 gallon per day lift station for an RV park, sized for all three phases of the park. We coordinated it with TCEQ and the City of Milford, then supported its installation. For the math behind a design like this, see our walkthrough of force main and pump sizing.

Common questions

How many pumps does a Texas lift station need?

At least two. Under 30 TAC 217.61, the station's firm pumping capacity, with the largest pump out of service, must handle the peak flow.

What backup power does TCEQ require for a lift station?

The rule sets a result, not one method. The station must not overflow during a power failure as long as the longest outage in the past 60 months, or 20 minutes, whichever is longer. Generators, alternate power, bypass pumps and other approved systems can meet it.

Do I need a lift station or a grinder pump?

It depends on what the pump serves. A grinder pump that serves a single connection, and is not part of an alternative collection system, falls outside TCEQ's lift station rules. A pump that serves more than one connection does not get that exemption. Call (214) 833-6748 to talk through your site.