View of Re-Use Irrigation System after Pluris Recent Rehabilitation Project
In an ongoing effort to improve community infrastructure in addressing potential issues in the future Pluris recently completed rehabilitation of the aging Wedgefield Golf Course Re-Use Irrigation pump station located at the Pluris Water Reclamation Facility site. Failure to address this integral part of the facility could pose Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permit issues.
Approximately 35 years old, the pump station, originally built and owned by the Wedgefield Golf Course was showing increasing operational issues of aging infrastructures. Pluris’s Florida Regional Manager Joe Kuhns met with the current owner of the Wedgefield Golf Course, Craig Cook, on Pluris assuming ownership of the pump station in order to reduce the potential for operating problems. The Golf course provides recreation and adds to property values in the community of Wedgefield and Mr. Cook did not want to impose the cost of needed upgrades to the community.
In June of 2019 Pluris began a complete rehabilitation of pump station and control system. The project included new variable frequency drives (VFD’s), electrical wiring, piping, flow meters and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). The SCADA allows for remote operation and monitoring of the pump station during non-business hours.
View of Re-Use Irrigation System Before Pluris’s Recent Rehabilitation
The above photograph shows the condition of the aged pump and control system before the rehabilitation. After completion of the work, Craig Cook commented,
“I am pleased Pluris approached me to discuss the ongoing ownership and maintenance of the Re-Use Irrigation Pump Station. Before this project was completed by Pluris, watering the golf course to maintain a healthy and aesthetic course for the community was at best unreliable. As a result of the rehabilitation, the pump station and control system now accurately and reliably completes watering cycles as needed.”
The golf course serves as a valuable resource in the treatment of wastewater, as the treated water, in accordance with the FDEP permit, is required to be returned to surface land and the golf course greens, fairways and other landscaping areas serve this environmental purpose.
An additional benefit of re-use water is that subsurface aquifers are not stressed, as the water from these aquifers is conserved for drinking water purposes only. Also, using drinking water for landscaping would increase the cost of irrigation to the golf course and landscaping areas, resulting in increased operating costs to the golf course and would likely be passed onto members.
As always, any customers with questions or desiring to visit the Water Reclamation Plant Facilities are encouraged to contact Mr. Joe Kuhns, Regional Manager for Pluris. Mr. Kuhns will personally schedule a facility visit for any customer. Mr. Kuhns can be reached via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (813) 526-0608.
