The Department of Municipal Utilities is responsible for maintaining 12 wastewater lift stations.  The Baraga Avenue Lift Station is one of the larger stations and consists of three pumps.  In March of 2019, one of the pumps failed and has since been replaced. The other two pumps are 20 years old and have been experiencing operational issues with noisy bearings, vibration, and poor efficiency due to impeller wear.  To bring the pumps back to normal operational mode, major parts would need to be replaced or two new pumps would need to be purchased. 

Staff contacted qualified pump suppliers to request pricing for the replacement parts and proposals for the purchase of two new pumps. Based on the cost of replacement parts to rebuild the pumps, it is staff’s recommendation to purchase two new Fairbanks Morse pumps from L.W. Allen, who is the sole source vendor for the City of Marquette territory.

Responsible operation of this system requires immediate attention.  Failure of one of the pumps at this lift station would compromise the integrity of the conveyance system.  This could result in flooded basements and sewerage overflows to streets and waterways.