After Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers quickly fast-tracked a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project to shore up the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection System—a project that had been stalled for decades. As part of this effort, Pentair was commissioned to build eleven massive pumps to be installed along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) just south of New Orleans.
The new pumps were built in Pentair’s Kansas City facility and delivered in May 2011. Pentair did more than just supply pumps, however. Given the extraordinary circumstances and requirements of the project, the Pentair team that designed and moved the eleven pumps stayed in Louisiana until they were up and running. Pentair Field Service Engineer, Steve King, said, “We had 18 weeks to finish the project working with contractors, subcontractors, and the Army Corps of Engineers all working day in and day out, without a day off, until we had the pumps up and running.”
The Pentair team maintains and monitors the pumps today. Jim Miller, Southeast Regional Sales Manager, said, “As the pumps age, we handle parts requirements or replacements. Our engineers help to conduct inspections, do vibration analysis, and help instruct on preventive maintenance.”
Today, the centrepiece of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection System is the $1 billion West Closure Complex, which operates the Pentair pumps and is linked to a system of 80 miles of levees. The massive facility is one of the world’s largest surge barrier systems and includes one of the largest drainage pump stations. It spans the Intracoastal Waterway just below the confluence of the Algiers Canal and Harvey Canal. The pumps remove stormwater from a West Bank basin spanning three parishes that drain into the canals.
Over the past decade, Pentair Flow equipment has played a pivotal role in keeping the people and property on the west bank of the Mississippi River safe, even in the face of storms as powerful as Hurricane Ida in 2021.
Image: Brian/stock.adobe.com
