James Street Lift Station in North Judson Converted to VFD

Posted on May 14, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

The problematic lift station on James Street in North Judson has been converted over to a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) system.

Back in February, Utility Department employee Kim Kapp informed the council that the Department was consistently addressing issues at that lift station. Utility Crews had to pull pumps more than once and start kits kept burning out, costing the town about $140 for each replacement.

A note went out on water bills, reminding people to be mindful about what they were flushing. However, when problems persisted, a conversion to a VFD system was recommended.

When members met last week, Town Superintendent Joe Leszek reported that Flo-Technics recently finished the James Street upgrade. He noted that they rewired the lift station and installed two new pumps, as well as two VFDs.

In a previous meeting, Leszek mentioned that a VFD allows crews to reverse the pumps and that could potentially clear a clog without having to pull the pump.

Though the James Street lift station conversion has been completed, residents are still reminded that they should never flush items such as baby wipes, diapers, q-tips, feminine hygiene products, and other inorganic materials.

These items can cause lift station issues in other areas and damage the town’s wastewater infrastructure.