EBMUD
PumpAround
Facilities
© 2001 Capt. Willis Lamm, Water Supply Officer, Moraga-Orinda (CA) Fire District |
The Cascade System serving the Oakland, Berkeley and Orinda hills consists of a series of pump plants and reservoirs. Each distribution area, called a "pressure zone," is supplied by one or more reservoirs. Water is pumped from each pressure zone to the next highest zone by means of electric pumping plants. The pumping plants are designed to refill the reservoirs each night and can also be used to maintain the reservoirs at capacity during the day during critical fire weather. (The reservoirs are sized to provide at least two days domestic consumption and still hold the required reserve for fire flows.) In the event of a prolonged power outage, EBMUD has portable generators which can be used to power the pumps. In the event of a pump plant failure, EBMUD has the capability of bringing in a portable pump with which to maintain appropriate reservoir levels. On rare occasions these generators and pumps have been put into use. As an additional measure of redundancy, EBMUD has installed pairs of fire hydrants at pumping plants and other strategic locations which are called "Pump-Arounds." One hydrant is connected to the lower zone and one hydrant is connected to the higher zone. In extenuating circumstances water could be taken from the lower zone hydrant and pumped via external means (e.g., a fire engine) to resupply the higher zone. Due to sanitation considerations such external pumping would most likely be provided by a "certified clean" EBMUD trailer pump, however under catastrophic conditions which exceed EMBUD's immediately available resources, a fire district engine could be pressed into service for this purpose. (If a non-certified pump is used to pump water, the water quality will be closely monitored, residents will be advised of the situation and the system will be sanitized as appropriate once the crisis has passed.) Fire District Procedure:
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