Water has always been the most vital resource for any civilization. All modern and ancient cities have largely been built around a source for water. There are many reasons water is important to us: we need it to live, and we can use it for trade and food. But what does a city do when they have outgrown the water supply in their area? How are they to cope when they only have a supply for thousands when they need one for tens of thousands? Luckily not only has irrigation improved over the years but we also now have the ability to pump water from virtually anywhere. This is how many cities, especially in the western U.S., survive. They are able to pump water from underground, or nearby rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water to supply their populace with potable water. Pumps have been one of the largest breakthroughs to allow cities to be built nearly anywhere. It is what has allowed us to build huge cities in desert areas such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. Water pumps also allow us to move water out of places we don’t want it. For example, the city of New Orleans, which sits below sea level, uses water pumps to get water out of the city. Of course, with it being near the bottom of the Mississippi River watershed, too much water tends to be the problem rather than too little as is usually the case in most other places.
WATER PUMP
Yes, modern cities almost have to use water pumps to keep their city hydrated. Even cities surrounded by water must pump that water to a treatment facility where it can be treated, as most natural water is not suitable for human consumption. Afterward, it is often pumped to a tower or cistern, where it will be spread throughout a building, neighborhood, or town to be used later. Of course, the process is a little more complicated than that. Water pumps must be maintained and set in the most appropriate place. As always, we want them to do as little work as possible because this will be cheaper and more cost-effective in the long run. The goal is to move water the shortest distance possible, which saves energy and therefore money.
Control cabinets and pump control
Most large cities have a tank or cistern located near the top of their building that holds thousands of gallons of water. A pump carries water through pipes and dumps it into the cistern. Typically, pumps have controls which are housed in a pump control cabinet to keep them tamper-resistant and to prevent unauthorized access to the analytical instruments. This allows the pump station to have less security and not require a full-time pump station security guard, which is more cost-effective in the long run. There are many different types of control enclosures and cabinets for engineers to consider suitable for the application. Which level of protection of NEMA enclosures or IP-rating cabinets do you need? Are water-resistant enclosures and cabinets enough? Should they be protected up to the level of heavy spray-down water resistance? Do you need waterproof enclosures and boxes? Or even really need submersible enclosures? These are questions you should answer to find the best solution for the application. Over- or under-protection can cost you money and harm your equipment.
The biggest issue is typically water quality. Finding drinkable water is often the most difficult part; instead, it is often easier to clean the water with chemicals and filters to create potable water. This process of treating water is very important. Analytical equipment is usually kept on site to determine whether water is safe to drink and use. After all, we use it to bathe, wash our dishes and clothes, to cook with, and of course, drink. Our families and pets depend on our water not only being delivered to us safe but also clean. This equipment is vital and must be protected from all kinds of outside elements. Dirt, bacteria, and numerous other contaminants can easily get into our water supply or even the machines that control its delivery. All of these machines themselves must also be protected from water damage. The control cabinets must safeguard against both environmental exposure and human or animal tampering.
Protection needed
Due to the nature of the equipment used to pump water, it is important that much of it be able to withstand being wet. It will almost surely come into contact with water during the span of its use, as this is its main purpose. In cities such as New Orleans, where it’s vital to keeping the water out, that equipment must be safely housed and protected away from rising water. One need only look at the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina to understand how important it is for pumps and their controls to be constantly operational under extreme conditions. The water supply and infrastructure must also be protected to keep up with the city’s demand for water.
Water is likely the main necessity of life. Because of this, it is very important that in today’s modern societies we have access to it. With the advent of indoor plumbing, providing access has become much easier and more feasible. This also means that vast quantities of water must not only be found and treated but also transported long distances so that our modern society can use it. After all, it does no good for there to be a large amount of usable water tens of miles away. We need it in our homes, at our workplaces, and within most facets of our lives. Pumps and pump technology are vital to keeping our cities functioning at even the most basic level. Because of this, the components used to control and analyze these pump systems must be housed and protected in an affordable, secure manner. Without the water that these systems provide, we would simply not have the ability to support the large populations in our modern cities. Yet, having this technology has enabled us to focus on other pursuits that have driven enormous advances in our society.
