The Metropolitan District (MDC) is a municipal corporation that provides safe, pure drinking water, environmentally responsible sewage collection and treatment, and other services that will enhance the quality of life for everyone in the eight member towns they serve. The collection system receives sewage from residential, commercial and industrial feeds into more than 76 sewage pumping stations, which then pump to one of four treatment plants.

One submersible pump station operating in the MDC network was the Blue Hills Pump Station in Bloomfield. The station receives an average daily flow of 35,000 gallons and mostly caters to residences and light commercial establishments. The pump station had experienced about 30 pump failures since 2015, costing the MDC about $7,000. Gil Bironi, Plant and Pump Station Supervisor, and Tom Mathiau, Sr., Maintenance Mechanic at the time, had been frustrated with the frequent clogging of the traditional solids-handling pumps in the station. They wanted a permanent solution to the problem. The pumps had been clogging as a result of rags, non-flushable towels, and feminine hygiene products. Gil and Tom wanted their employees to focus on more productive jobs instead of addressing emergency calls over all hours of the day and night!

Williams New England and Motor, Crane Pumps & Systems’ municipal distributor in New England, worked with Gil and Tom to recommend and install a 4” submersible Barnes Sithe chopper pump in the station in October 2018, after which time, MDC maintenance staff never again had to pull the pump due to clogging. Operating successfully for the past 6 months, the Sithe chopper pump’s open center design and unique cutting blades direct solids to the cutting edges and ensure clog-free operation. MDC’s pump maintenance department staff is pleased with the Barnes Sithe chopper pump. Bruce Fontaine, current Plant and Pump Station Supervisor, and Tom Mathiau, Assistant Maintenance Superintendent, feel that their team is able to focus on more productive work instead of spending their time unclogging pumps in the Blue Hills pump station.