The North Francisco Pump Station was built by Caltrans in 1999. Its purpose is to pump large amounts of water from the surrounding area including the freeway, the Gerstle Park, and Bret Harte neighborhoods into the bay. There are 4, 250 horsepower (hp) motors and 2, 30 hp pumps, each 40 feet long, at this station alone. The large motors pump out roughly 50,000 gallons of water per minute, omg! Due to its critical location and the amount of water this stormwater system manages, back up pumps are required if one of the primary pumps becomes fails.
A thorough inspection was performed last year and one of the pumps was pulled and re-built. This is the first pump replacement since this stormwater system was installed in ’99. A large crane was required to put the re-built pump in place. The rebuilt pump & motor will be just as strong but a little quieter. The tolerance and space on the impeller will be a lot closer between the impeller and the wall of the pump, we anticipate less trembling and more expulsion. The North Fran. Pump Station has given us 20 years of hard work and dedication, and we are excited to welcome the first of the re-built machinery that will serve our City for the next 20 years!
