St. Mary Street Pump Station Replacement

The Town of Needham retained the services of BETA to provide design and construction services for the Saint Mary Street Pump Station Replacement. The design of the station included a full replacement of the existing water pump station that withdraws water from the MWRA’s system to the Town’s water distribution system. The project consisted of 3 phases. The first was a Schematic Design that included a feasibility study investigating various options for replacement or rehabilitation. A full replacement of the existing station was selected based on factors including cost, ease of construction, minimizing bypass operations, and operational preferences. The Schematic Design then served as the basis for a cost estimate that allowed the Town to appropriate funds at the Town meeting.

The second phase was the Final Design. BETA worked closely with the Town to develop a program of spaces that would ensure all the Town’s needs would be met. The new 6,300-square-foot facility includes an administrative block with an office and meeting room, a water meter workshop, a 2-bay vehicle storage area, an electrical and control room, a future chemical storage area, and a mechanical and process pumping room. Controlled access is being provided to ensure that only licensed operators can enter areas associated with the pumping operation. The design includes three 100-hp pumps that each have a design capacity of 2,300 gpm at 102 feet of total dynamic head, with a total station capacity of 5,500 gpm. The station has a 450 kW emergency engine generator, and the HVAC system includes dehumidification in the pump room to reduce maintenance costs of sweating pipes. Construction meets the new “stretch code” and systems were designed to be as energy efficient as practicable, with multiple heating and cooling zones and the use of ambient for cooling of the electrical room. The roof was designed to handle future solar panel loads should the Town pursue this option in the future. Stormwater is handled by converting the existing pump station’s foundation as an infiltrator, and a rain garden featuring native plants.

Station construction was phase three, and construction was completed in the fall of 2015. During construction, the existing station remained online servicing the Town’s water needs. The construction cost of the station was $4.5 million.