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Case Studies / Service
Case Study: Engineering a 75 MGD Bypass at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant
When the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant in North Miami, FL needed a 75 MGD bypass, the obvious approach was off the table. The plant’s effluent chamber could not support the weight of bypass equipment. Nothing could rest on the structure. IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino answered with an engineered solution built from the ground up, and the result shows what separates a bypass vendor from a bypass partner.
The Challenge
A 75 million-gallon-per-day bypass is a major pumping operation on its own. This project added a structural constraint that ruled out conventional setups: the effluent chamber could not bear the load of the pumping equipment. With vertical turbine pump units weighing 40,000 to 50,000 pounds each, there was no version of this job where equipment sat on the structure itself.
The flow also had to be captured directly from the plant’s crucifix structure and carried to the outfall without interruption. A bypass at a working treatment plant leaves no room for downtime or failure.
The Response
Rather than force a standard configuration onto the site, Ironclad’s team engineered a purpose-built platform constructed from the ground up. The platform elevated the entire pumping system several feet above the effluent chamber while never touching the structure at any point. Every pound of equipment weight was carried by the platform, not the plant.
The pumping design was equally deliberate. Vertical turbine pumps, an uncommon choice for bypass work, gave the project the capacity and configuration the site demanded. Flow was captured from the crucifix and discharged through dual 30-inch lines, which dropped into a 90-inch outfall.
“This is a unique setup going with vertical turbine pumps,” said [Zachary Groner] of Ironclad. “Each of these units can carry up to 40 to 50,000 pounds each, so nothing could rest on the structure of the effluent chamber itself.”
Automation and 24/7 Pump Watch
The system ran on full automation, with VFDs and PLCs controlling the operation end to end. On top of the automated controls, Ironclad kept a technician on site around the clock on pump watch. At a plant moving 75 MGD, monitoring is not a formality. It is how a bypass stays a non-event.
A Total Team Effort
Projects like this are won in coordination. Operations, logistics, engineering, and field labor all had to move as one unit to design the platform, mobilize equipment of this size, and bring the system online.
“This project has been a total team effort all the way, from the operations to logistics to the engineering to the manual labor,” said [Dave Groner] of Ironclad. “You have professionalism and you have the expertise and the knowledge behind it.”
The Outcome
The bypass performed as engineered, and the customer could not have been happier with the outcome. Just as important, the project proved a point about how Ironclad approaches this work.
“It’s been a really great job. It shows what we can do,” said Groner. “There’s more than just bypass pumping. You gotta come up with a better solution sometimes, and there always is a better mousetrap. You just gotta take the initiative.”
Facing a Bypass That Standard Setups Can’t Handle?
Some projects need more than equipment dropped at the gate. They need an engineered answer. Ironclad brings the fleet, the field expertise, and the initiative to build the right solution for constraints other providers walk away from. Contact Ironclad today to talk through your project.
