Community Gardens Bloom With The Help of Pump Intake Screens

Community Gardens Bloom in Wyoming with the Help of LAKOS Pump Intake Screens

Application: River water for domestic landscape irrigation

Problem: When plans were drawn for a new pump station on Wyoming’s Big Horn Head River to serve the non-potable water needs of East Thermopolis, Mike Ready, Head of Maintenance, knew that he would face problems if moss, algae, twigs, and other organics and debris were allowed to enter the pump’s suction intake pipe. Based on 30 years of experience, Ready realized that pump protection was needed but that a stationary screen was not the answer. Heavy concentrations of moss near the pump house would quickly blind off the screen’s available water intake area and require frequent time-consuming and messy cleaning procedures.

Solution: To prevent trouble before it could begin, a LAKOS-PLUM CREEK Self-Cleaning Pump Intake Screen was included in the original design for the city’s system that provides water through 4-inch piping to 150 residences for lawn and garden use. Largely due to PLUM CREEK’s reliable internal backwash design, the municipal system has enjoyed trouble-free operation since it began service 3 years ago.

Remembering frequency declines in pump performance, expensive repairs and replacements, cavitation, pressure loss, decreased flow rates and excessive fuel usage at other pump stations on the river, Ready says, “I just wouldn’t be without the PLUM CREEK Screen, and I’m really pleased that we decided to go with it from the start. Even with all the moss in the Big Horn, we haven’t had to shut down once for screen cleaning or pump repairs. PLUM CREEK is one tough screen, and all the yards in town are benefiting from its efficiency.”