Client: Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Donohue designed improvements to transform the electrical system at Lemay Pump Stations 1 and 2 for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. The improvements significantly enhanced the safety of District staff and protects equipment while substantially increasing reliability of the pump station to maintain flow to the 340-million-gallon-per-day Lemay Wastewater Treatment Plant. The $3.65 million project included arc-resistant switchgear, a low resistance grounding system, unique automated substation switching, and variable frequency drives with integral controls for the pumps.

New switchgear inside of the new power distribution center offers substantively increased safety and reliability. The system was designed to be arc-resistant with exhaust plenums that direct potentially harmful gases and particulates away from operators.

One of the project’s monumental challenges was the complex construction sequencing required to keep the pump station operational. Donohue’s project team developed a detailed step-by-step construction phasing plan.

This project was a first-of-its-kind installation in the St. Louis area with arc resistant switchgear, Ameren integrated cold sequencing metering, and low resistance grounding that enhances the safety, reliability, and longevity of the District’s most critical facility for many years to come.