When Hurricane Frances battered Florida for three days, it caused billions of dollars in damage, at least seven deaths, and power loss to over 6 million people. Among the municipalities negatively impacted was Martin County in southeast Florida and the Everglades.
Two of the Jenson Beach Water Treatment plant''s four transfer pumps were damaged, severely crippling operations. But like the many Florida individuals who received a helping hand after the hurricane, so did this Martin County treatment facility.
The Jenson facility placed an emergency call to Flowserve Corp''s Taneytown, MD plant, seeking help replacing the damaged pumps. Kenn Owens, manager for vertical turbine pump products, and Emad Kronfli, manager of Taneytown''s order fulfillment team, immediately reacted. On Sept 7, they contacted the Lakeland, FL Quick Response Center (QRC), ordering two 350 mm (14 in) EN-1 single-stage pumps. Everyone at the Lakeland QRC pitched in to machine parts, make shafting, assemble the pumps, and get them ready for delivery within one day. Representatives from the Jenson facility opted to pick up the pumps on September 9 and were extremely pleased with the service. (Illustrated, typical Flowserve single-stage vertical turbine pump.)
The Flowserve 350 mm EN-1 vertical turbine pumps feature cast iron bowls, bronze impellers, rubber bowl bearings, and 416 SS shafting throughout. They are also designed with 2,415 mm (96.5 in.) threaded column steel assemblies and 10 W cast iron discharge heads. Normal lead time for these pumps is eight weeks, and Flowserve''s quick ship program typically offers a 2-week turnaround time.
"Everyone at the Lakeland facility recognized the urgency of the need and worked together for 24-hour delivery," said John Ondrejack, Flowserve regional manager of Water/Waste Water Sales, Southeast U.S./Caribbean, who is based in Boca Raton. Owens noted that Flowserve is now standing by for any future needs of the Jenson Beach Water Treatment Plant.
In addition to emergency pump replacement for water delivery, existing Flowserve pump installations are providing flood relief to areas of the Florida Everglades affected by Hurricane Frances. Twenty-five pumps supplied by Flowserve for the Everglades Restoration Project are now being used as flood control pumps. The Everglades Restoration Project was initiated by the South Florida Management District, the state agency in charge of flood control and cleanup efforts that works in parallel with the Army Corps of Engineers. The 25 pumps helping with flood control are high-volume axial flow pumps capable of pumping over 2.3 million m³/h (10 million gallons per minute).
Ondrejack noted that Flowserve has offered its services in the future to the South Florida Management District and that the Flowserve Water Resource Sales Team has notified all municipalities that they are standing by to be of assistance in any future needs in the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean.