Project Overview

The West Rankin Utility Authority (WRUA) serves one of Mississippi’s fastest-growing regions, representing the cities of Richland, Brandon, Pearl, and Flowood, along with the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, and the Mississippi State Hospital. For many years, WRUA conveyed its wastewater to the City of Jackson’s Savanna Street treatment facility. As that aging facility faced mounting regulatory challenges and hundreds of millions of dollars in anticipated repair costs, WRUA pursued a long-term strategy to take control of its own wastewater treatment and infrastructure. This effort ultimately included the construction of a new, expandable wastewater treatment plant in Richland and upgrades to critical pump station assets supporting the system.

The Challenge

The existing pumps had reached the end of their service life. Operators faced escalating maintenance costs, difficulty sourcing replacement parts, and operational inefficiencies. Safety was also a growing concern, as the exposed-shaft design presented risks during inspection and servicing. “Not having that 30-foot vertical shaft spinning in the pump room is definitely safer by far,” said Bruce Stephens, Executive Director of West Rankin Utility Authority. “You don’t have to worry about something catastrophic happening if a coupling were to fail.”

Noise and vibration were also issues with the legacy equipment, further reinforcing the need for modernization.

The Solution

To modernize the system, West Rankin Utility Authority selected Wilo-FA submersible sewage pumps to replace the aging competitor units.

The retrofit process began with the installation of two Wilo-FA 50.98 (20") pumps, each rated at 13,800 GPM at 104 feet TDH and driven by 520 HP motors. Based on the successful performance of the initial installation, WRUA later added three additional FA 50.98 pumps, incorporating a water-glycol closed-loop cooling system and variable frequency drives (VFDs) to expand operating flexibility.

“The quality and precision of these pumps really stood out,” Stephens said. “They run extremely quiet, they don’t run hot, and they’re very smooth compared to what we had before.” Wilo also provided factory start-up and commissioning services to support a smooth transition and long-term operation.

Results & Customer Benefits

Since installation, the Wilo-FA pumps have delivered reliable operation across a wide range of flows, supporting WRUA’s evolving system needs.

Operational flexibility has been a key benefit, particularly as WRUA transitioned from pumping raw influent wastewater to handling treated effluent flows from its own plant. With VFD control, the pumps operate efficiently during low-flow conditions while still accommodating peak wet-weather events

“We generally keep one pump running at all times,” Stephens explained. “During heavy rain events, we’ll run two, and in extreme events we may run three, but we’re able to manage that without running everything at full speed.”

Additional benefits include:

• Improved Safety: Elimination of exposed shafting reduced operator risk
• Reduced Noise: Quieter operation improved working conditions
• Ease of Maintenance: Fewer unplanned repairs and predictable service intervals
• Operational Confidence: Ability to adapt to changing system demands