Everglades Pump Stations G-404 and G-409

Kiewit Southern Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, was awarded this $6.5 million contract for Pump Stations G-404 and G-409 as part of the South Florida Water Management District's goal of restoring the Everglades to its previously ecologically balanced condition. Completed on schedule and under budget, the scope of work included 7,300 cubic yards of excavation; 2,300 cubic yards of cast-in-place, reinforced concrete; a mechanical package consisting of 30- to 60-inch-diameter steel piping, pumps, engines and fuel systems; and a complete diesel fueling systems, automatic trash rakes and electrical and controls instrumentation. Due to remote and challenging site conditions, extensive dewatering systems were required for pump house construction, due to the depth of excavation below the water table.

The G-409 intake structure consisted of a 30-foot-by 41-foot-by 3-foot base slab, four 17-foot-by 41-foot-by-1.5-foot walls, and a 30-foot-long by 17-foot-high back wall. These walls form separate intake bays for each of the three 30-inch-diameter vertical propeller pumps, which together can pump water 190 cubic feet per second.

Excavation for G-404 included a 60-foot-by-60-foot cut made 22 feet below grade. Each intake bay houses a 60-inch-diameter vertical propeller pump that will propel water 30 feet through a 60-inch-diameter steel pipe into the discharge bay. When operating simultaneously, the pumps will be able to discharge 570 cubic feet of water per second.