Greer CPW was one of 34 utilities or cities to receive funding from the S.C Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) to strengthen water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure. The grant totaling $500,000 for CPW will be used to replace the pump station at the BMW Manufacturing Plant that is more than 25 years old. In addition to serving BMW, the pump station also serves areas northeast of the facility and areas south of I-85 west along Highway 101.
“This station is one of the largest and most critical stations in our sewer system, said Mark Harvey, Engineering and Planning Manager. It is important to maintain and improve infrastructure where we can. We’re thankful for the RIA grant that will partially fund the $4.2 million dollar project,” said Harvey.
Pump or lift stations are used for pumping wastewater from a lower to higher elevation where the land does not allow for a natural flow of water. The new infrastructure will improve efficiency, add redundancy and provide a 50% capacity increase to help with future residential and industrial growth.
“Infrastructure is the backbone to any successful community. To have the groundwork already in place makes it possible to attract world class companies that in turn create high paying jobs,” said Reno Deaton, Executive Director of the Greer Development Corporation.
Currently flow from the existing pump station discharges to a gravity sewer system just north of Highway 101 across from the BMW facility. The project includes a 14,000-foot extension of the existing force main from the current discharge point to the Maple Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. This force main extension will remove the BMW station flow from the gravity line and make it available to serve future growth north of BMW.
Greer CPW plans to bid the project in the first quarter of 2021 and award a contract in the second quarter with the construction lasting approximately 15 months.
[Attached photo is of generic pump station within Greer CPW’s system]