East Bottoms Pump Station Rehabilitation Phase 3

The East Bottoms Pump Station was one of the first buildings in Kansas City to be equipped with high-voltage power. When it came time for KC Water to upgrade the 100-year-old structure, the decision was easy—rehabilitate and preserve this irreplaceable part of Kansas City’s history. The desire to match the level of quality of the original construction served as an inspiration to the project team during the construction of these improvements. 

This project consisted of major demolition and rehabilitation of the pump station while maintaining full operation during these improvements. Garney scheduled and coordinated the replacement of 36-inch and 42-inch discharge piping with a new “loop piping arrangement” while removing the deteriorating concrete vault and replacing it with a larger concrete structure on 36 new auger cast piles, slabs, walls, and concrete deck around this discharge piping. The renovations progressed without complications and kept the project on schedule throughout the progression. This project also included a new 28 million gallon per day (MGD) dual centrifugal pump driven by a brushless and synchronous motor that self-tunes based on the incoming power voltage which makes it highly innovative and unique. The pump was manufactured in the US while the motor provided by General Electric was built in Brazil and they met at the project site for installation and testing.   

There was a tight timeline to complete major improvements in the treated water reservoir, which included 1,650 linear feet (LF) of baffle wall, including 200 cubic yards (CY) placed as the footing for 25,000 concrete masonry units (CMU) used to construct the wall. This baffle created a path for the finished water to flow through the 20-million-gallon reservoir preventing a buildup of sediment. Prior to starting this work, major renovations needed to be completed in the gatehouse structure so water could be directed straight to the pump station while work progressed in the reservoir. Nine cast iron gates and one stop-log wall were replaced with 10 stainless steel gates. This gatehouse work had to be completed within 30 days beginning December 1, which isn’t ideal for a large amount of concrete and masonry work to begin. The reservoir renovations continued through a frigid February winter to allow the pump station to get back online within the 90-day window allowed per the project documents.  

Working with KC Water through operational changes, Garney provided smooth transitions, safe work environments for operations and constructors, and minimized disruptions. This project emphasized the team’s ability to complete a highly technical and challenging project while maintaining full operation of the existing infrastructure.

AWARDS
Award of Merit, Excellence in Safety, 2023 ENR Midwest
Brick-by-Brick Award, 2023 Kansas City Industrial Council
Excellence in Concrete Award, 2022 The Concrete Promotional Group