The Anacostia Waste Water Pumping Station, which serves the southeastern portion of Washington, D.C., was having a problem. Almost every day as if on cue, in the morning and evening during high flows, its sewer system was backing up — alarmingly, into the area’s local businesses. The sewer system was being excessively clogged with rags, trash, solids and all kinds of other debris. 

Officials knew they had to act quickly and find a solution for this emergency situation. They contacted Thompson Pump, manufacturer of top-quality pumps and related equipment that also provides engineering expertise for construction dewatering, bypass, and emergency operations. 

“The municipality had an urgent and immediate need that had to be met,” says Howard Brown, sales manager of Thompson Pump’s Baltimore/Washington, D.C., branch. “Our team assessed the situation and promptly recommended several high-performance trash pumps, all equipped with our Self-Cleaning Impeller.” 

Permanently mounted Thompson pumps featuring a Self-Cleaning Impeller capably handle the rigors of modern-day wastewater, transporting it without interruption and keeping it moving through the system. 

The trash pumps with the Self-Cleaning Impeller were installed in the Anacostia Pumping Station and instantly the clogging crisis was a thing of the past. Officials were thrilled with Thompson and its solution. Better still, in the almost two years since Thompson pumps with the Self-Cleaning Impeller were installed there, no backups of any kind have been seen. “It’s an example of how our Self-Cleaning Impeller technology works perfectly with municipalities that have these types of problems,” Brown says. 

The self-cleaning semi-open impeller pumps consist of specially designed, backward swept inclined vanes, together with a serrated and v-notched wearplate that finely tears apart debris and stringy material before going through the impeller vanes, greatly reducing the risk of clogging.  

The benefits of pumps equipped with the Self-Cleaning Impeller go beyond anti-ragging and clogging; it also helps with the pump’s overall performance. Due to its unique ability to consistently handle materials flowing through the system, the pump retains an exceptionally high level of function. Maintenance time and overall operating costs are also decreased due to less clogging. 

As evidenced by the example of the Anacostia Wastewater Pumping Station, if you have issues with backups, Thompson Pump’s Self-Cleaning Impeller is the solution. 

To learn more about Thompson’s Self-Cleaning Impeller and their other latest innovations, contact your local Thompson Pump branch or visit www.thompsonpump.com.