Pentair Inc. announced September 3 that the 11 Fairbanks Morse pumps installed in New Orleans' 17th Street canal performed as planned, helping to prevent flooding from Hurricane Gustav. Each of the Pentair pumps is capable of pumping approximately 160,000 gallons of water per minute; they serve as additional capacity to the city's existing water infrastructure to manage water levels in the event of hurricanes such as Gustav.
"As expected, Pentair’s Fairbanks Morse pumps have responded to the rising waters caused by Hurricane Gustav and are serving the needs of New Orleans," said Michael V. Schrock, president and chief operating officer.
On Monday night, the 17th Street canal gates were closed and the pumps began moving approximately 7,000 cubic feet of water per second; in just one hour, the system had lowered the canal levels by approximately 3 feet to safe levels. Helping to keep portions of the city safe, Pentair’s pumps are part of a sophisticated system that serves the east bank of New Orleans by draining storm run-out to prevent flooding.
Fairbanks Morse makes a broad range of pumps serving municipal, commercial and industrial markets with products including large split case, vertical turbine and vertical turbine solids-handling (VTSH), vortex, and propeller pumps. Past Fairbanks projects include pumps with diameters as large as 140 inches and with capacities up to 1 million gallons per minute.