Consor Engineers: Simulating Sophisticated Pump Flows In A Closed System

A predictable water supply is something many take for granted. But the mechanism to deliver water where it’s needed is anything but basic. Maintaining consistent water flow and pressure is a by-product of many components working in tandem, including pipes and pumps of different capacities, and the ability to predict, analyze, and satisfy water needs.

A pipe break or loss of water pressure can have profound effects on a city’s residents and businesses by putting a halt to operations and undermining productivity and profitability. For the utility charged with delivering the water supply, a deviation in the level of service or an interruption can have negative social, economic, or financial impacts.

To provide reliable water delivery for the industrial and irrigation customers in Ferndale, WA, 100 miles north of Seattle, the Public Utility District No. 1 of Whatcom County (PUD) tasked Consor Engineers, a water and transportation infrastructure consulting firm, with conducting hydraulic modeling simulations to assess its current industrial water system and select new high head service pumps for a proposed new water treatment plant.