Restoring Raw Water Pumping Capacity for the City of Cornelia
Location: Demorest, Georgia
Industry: Municipal Water Infrastructure
Service: Raw Water Pump Station Rehabilitation
The Situation
The City of Cornelia needed raw water pump station rehabilitation at its Hazel Creek facility near Demorest, Georgia. The project required replacing a critical vertical turbine pump while renewing the associated discharge piping, creek intake, electrical service, controls and supporting site infrastructure.
Because the facility served an operating raw-water system, the work could not be approached as a conventional equipment replacement. Station outages had to be limited to planned windows, existing pumps and utilities had to remain protected, and every new connection had to be verified before the system returned to service.
The Challenge
Several critical interfaces could not be fully confirmed until the existing equipment and piping were exposed.
After Pump No. 3 and its discharge piping were removed, JBrennon discovered that a connection believed to be 12 inches was actually 10 inches. The team also encountered a leaking tap and saddle on the 12-inch force main and an existing leaking 10-inch valve that had to be resolved while the system was accessible.
The intake work introduced another set of constraints. The existing screen was submerged in Hazel Creek and connected to a 24-inch intake flange. Diver access and controlled lifting were needed to release and replace it. Once exposed, the existing air-burst piping configuration did not match the connection supplied with the new screen.
Electrical and controls work also required field coordination. The planned location of a new electrical panel did not provide the required working clearance, prompting a revised equipment location, housekeeping-pad modifications and adjusted conduit routing.
How We Worked
JBrennon organized the project around a verify, stage, isolate, execute, test and restore sequence. Before each outage, the team exposed accessible interfaces, confirmed dimensions and flange arrangements, coordinated operator notifications, and staged the piping, fittings, equipment and specialty resources needed for the work.
Pump No. 3 and the existing discharge piping were removed, including piping inside and outside the valve vault. JBrennon excavated between the wet well and valve vault, enlarged wall penetrations and installed new ductile iron piping, reducers, fittings, valves, thrust restraint and link seals. The force-main tap and saddle were repaired, and the leaking valve was plugged before the excavation was backfilled.
The team constructed a reinforced concrete equipment pad for the replacement vertical turbine pump. The pump was set and leveled, its motor installed, and the new 12-inch discharge assembly connected. New piping serving Pumps Nos. 1 and 2 was also completed and checked for leakage.
At Hazel Creek, JBrennon coordinated crane access and diver support to remove the submerged intake screen from the 24-inch flange. The replacement Type 304 stainless-steel T-style intake screen was positioned and installed. After confirming the difference in the existing air-burst geometry, the team coordinated a revised fitting arrangement and reconnected the screen-cleaning system.
Electrical and controls work was integrated with the mechanical installation. The project included new utility power to the switchgear, conduit, grounding, wiring, junction boxes, exterior lighting, generator repair and rewiring, variable-frequency-drive and SCADA coordination, level instrumentation, turbidity monitoring and site-security components.
The finished systems were evaluated through leak and pressure checks, pump alignment and rotation checks, electrical continuity and insulation testing, controls and alarm verification, generator-transition testing and coordinated startup activities.
The Outcome
The City of Cornelia received a rehabilitated raw water pump station with renewed pumping, intake, piping, electrical, controls and monitoring systems.
Shop testing documented the replacement pump operating at 2,994 gallons per minute at 297.5 feet of total dynamic head, closely matching its 3,000-gpm design duty. JBrennon remained involved through startup, controls troubleshooting, warranty follow-up and final resolution. The work was completed with zero recordable safety incidents.
Project Deliverables
Replacement and alignment of the Pump No. 3 vertical turbine pump and motor
New ductile iron discharge piping, valves, fittings, restraints and sealed wall penetrations
Repaired 12-inch force-main tap and saddle and secured leaking 10-inch valve
New 24-inch Type 304 stainless-steel intake screen with reconnected air-burst piping
New electrical service, switchgear connections, conduit, grounding and exterior lighting
Integrated generator, variable-frequency-drive, SCADA, instrumentation and alarm systems
Restored grading, grassing, gravel surfaces, perimeter fencing and secured site conditions
Tested mechanical, electrical and controls systems returned to operating service