Pump Stations
Pump stations are used to lift sewage in low laying areas to higher elevations where the gravity portion of the collection system can convey the flow to the WPCF. The WPCA’s pump stations are grouped into two categories: wet well / dry well type stations and submersible stations. The pipe to convey the sewage from the station pumps to the gravity collection system is called a force main.
The City installed the first pump station in 1931 located at Veterans Park to serve East Norwalk and identified as Fort Point pump station. In the 1950s thru 1970s, an additional 19 pump stations were installed as the collection system expanded. In the 1980s, two additional pump stations were added for a total of 22 owned by the City. The pumping capacity of the pump stations range from 0.2 to 10 mgd. Over the years, the pump stations have been rehabilitated and upgraded to extend the useful life of this critical infrastructure and to ensure continuous ongoing operation.
In 2019, a Pump Station Asset Management Plan was performed to evaluate Infrastructure age / condition (mechanical, electrical, structure, etc.), future flow and capacity, force main capacity, climate change and flood impact mitigation, energy efficiency and to provide long-term capital improvement program projects.
Collection System
The original collection system was installed in the 1880s to convey both sanitary sewage and stormwater during rain events to the Norwalk River and Harbor.
In 1931, a Water Pollution Control Facility was constructed on South Smith Street and flows were redirected to the WPCF with the old outfalls acting as high-flow overflows during rain events.
As the collection system continued to expand, the sewers were designed and constructed to transport only sanitary sewage to the WPCF with a separate system to transport stormwater to nearby waterbodies. Parallel stormwater systems were built to separate stormwater flows from the existing combined system. In 1973, approximately 900 acres of heavily developed land were serviced by combined sewers and that was reduced to 525 acres by 1979. Large-scale sewer separation projects continued through the 1980s and 1990s separating most of the remaining combined system.
Water Pollution Control Facility
Wastewater treatment plants remove pollutants from domestic and industrial waste. Used water, also known as wastewater, travels through sewer pipes to treatment plants where it is treated and returned to a local water body source. Wastewater is generated from many sources in your home – toilets, sinks, showers, and washing machines to name a few! Treatment plants ensure that this water is safe to return to the environment.