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OC O&M - Pump Stations

1. Channels
2. Confined Space
3. Dams
4. Engineering
5. Pump Stations
6. Storm Drains
7. Vegetation & Pest Control

Flood control is provided by a system of levees, canals and pump stations. All stormwater runoff is conveyed by gravity through a system of drainage lines and canals into the suction bays of various pump stations then pumped to a higher elevation into larger levees or the ocean. The pump station operators are responsible for the operation and maintenance of 7 pump stations, 3 ultra violet / filtration systems and 4 urban runoff diversions containing 46 pumps throughout the Orange County watershed area. The primary goal of the group is to provide staffing for operations and maintenance of all pumping equipment and associated machinery.

All pumping equipment is driven by either natural gas combustion engines with propane back-up or electric motor drives. Some pump stations are now monitored using SCADA, which stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. SCADA systems interface with District computers to alert staff of operational problems. The technology saves time money by pinpointing malfunctions and minimizing staff time to shut off general alarms for non-critical situations. Soon, this state-of-the-art technology will be in place for all 14 pumping locations.

Rossmoor Pump Station contains four 54 inch vertical pumps powered by Waukesha's 920 hp V12 natural gas engines which are capable of pumping a total of 293,000 gallons per minute.

Southpark pump station located in Fountain Valley is a similar station containing three 56 inch vertical pumps that move the water vertically 28 feet and laterally a quarter mile to the Santa Ana River. Southpark pump station is designed to house a total five vertical pump each capable of pumping 83,000 gallons per minute for a total of 415,000 gallons per minute.

The pump station operations crew is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of the County-s urban run-off diversions and run off filtration systems. Working with the OCSD to divert urban run off through the Sanitation District the crew maintains, monitors, and records data of all water treated and diverted from our beaches.