How Does Sewage Lifting Device Work?

How do sewage lift stations work?

Sewage lift stations are used for pumping wastewater or sewage from a lower to higher elevation, particularly where the elevation of the source is not sufficient for gravity flow and/or when the use of gravity conveyance will result in excessive excavation and higher construction costs. Sewage lift stations/pump stations may be used as a matter of economics or to overcome inadequate hydraulic head when it is obvious that no other solution is practical. For instance, it may be more economical to utilize a sewage pump station to pump or lift the sewage over a ridge and let it flow by gravity to a sewage treatment plant, or to elevate sewage to pass through a sewage treatment system by gravity.

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What are the key components of a lift station?

Often called lift stations, units are commonly built as a factory assembled package system. Key elements of lift/pump stations include a wastewater treatment receiving well (wet-well), equipped with lift pumps and piping with valves, a junction box, and an equipment control panel with alarm system. The submersible type lift/pump station can be utilized on low flow, low head type installations. Two types of pumps are available for this application, grinder pumps and solids handling pumps. A properly designed wet well is essential for efficient and trouble-free operation of the lift/pump station. The purpose of a wet well is to provide a means of allowing automatic operation of the lift station with a simple control. Use of the wet well for any other purpose, such as a storage reservoir for sewage, is not recommended. The wet well should be as small as possible in order to minimize detention time of the sewage. Should the wastewater remain too long in the wet well, septic action may occur. Although, the wet well should be large enough so excessive starting and stopping of the lift station pump will not take place. Advantages of submersible lift/pump stations are that they typically cost less than dry-well stations and operate without frequent pump maintenance. Submersible lift/pump stations do not usually include large above ground structures and tend to blend in with their surrounding environment.

How long do sewage lift stations last?

For the most part, an engineer can anticipate a life expectancy of 15 - 20 years or more from steel lift stations. This is more than adequate in cost cases, since the anticipated flow rates are usually designed for only ten years expansion. Steel lift stations are coated with a high solids epoxy paint system and further protected by anodes to deter cathodic action.

If you are in need of maintenance, repairs, or cleaning services on your sewage lift station or require a lift station installation, contact us at Wind River Environmental. Our lift station experts are here for all your lift station needs so call today, to speak with one of our experts.

Hillsborough County Privately-Owned Collection & Transmission System Program (POCTS)

The purpose of the POCTS Program is to evaluate private lift stations and collection systems to ensure they are maintained properly to control excessive amounts of inflow and infiltration and to prevent clogging of the County’s sewer system due to excessive discharges of grease and other non-flushable materials.

What is a Lift Station?

A lift station is a structure designed to pump the wastewater (sewage) from your property or business and transport it to a private or municipal treatment system. Lift stations consist of a wet well, pumps and floats, discharge piping, an electrical control panel, pump switches, and high-level emergency alarms.

How does a lift station work?

The illustration above depicts a lift station wet well. It has several components:

• At least two submersible pumps to move the wastewater
• A set of floats to activate the pumps when the water gets to a certain height and to activate the alarm system
• A discharge pipe that goes from the pump to the valve box that leads to a connection to the sewer system
• A lid for easy access to the wet well and/or valves

Do your part to prevent overflows

• Clean the lift station as needed to prevent overflows
• Have a regular maintenance schedule
• Do not wait for something to break before you call someone to look at it
• Post a sign for an emergency contact where it can be seen by the public
• Be conscious of what goes down the drain. Grease and debris shorten the life for of the pumps that move the wastewater and can interrupt the floats from signaling the pumps to turn on.

Do not ignore the alarm!

The alarm system is in place to warn you of elevated water levels and/or a possible overflow. The alarm should be audible and visual. When water raises the float closest to the lid, it will signal this alarm system to turn on.

Inspections

Hillsborough County POCTS staff conduct inspections on privately-owned lift stations and collection systems to ensure compliance with the County Code of Ordinances, Section 120-200.

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Some of the major requirements included in an inspection are:

• A minimum of two approved and operational pumps that alternate are in place
• All floats are operational
• Audible and visual alarm systems are operational
• The wet well and electrical panel are locked for safety
• The wet well is free of debris and grease
• The valve box and electrical panel are operating properly
• Emergency contact information is posted where it is visible to the public

Reporting a spill

All spills or sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) are required to be reported to all of the following agencies:

Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) within 24 hours of discovery.

EPC of Hillsborough County - (813) 627-

Hillsborough County Environmental Services at or (813) 744-

In addition, spills over 1,000 gallons or where public health or the environment may be endangered are required to be reported to the following entities:

Florida State Watch Office

1-800-320-

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)

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