Xylem’s Storm Solutions for Communities Around the World
As featured on Impeller | Water News from Xylem
As a leading global water technology company, Xylem has used its expertise to help communities recover from hurricanes, record rainfall and flooding. Xylem also provides solutions for pumping stations, storm water systems and emergency contingency plans that help utilities and businesses prepare for the worst. Read about some of our recent projects in the US, Asia, South America and Europe.
Delivering an emergency bypass after record rainfall in Memphis
In the spring of 2016, an unprecedented 16 inches of rain fell on the city of Memphis, Tennessee. This extraordinary event eroded the soil beneath a critical 96-inch sewer main. When the poor conditions caused the line to fail, the city activated their emergency response plan. Xylem was the city’s first call. And the response was immediate.
Protecting the Philippines against monsoon flooding
Two pumping stations in Manila were upgraded with Flygt propeller pumps in order to help protect residential areas from severe monsoon flooding. Benefitting more than half a million people, Xylem’s Flygt technology increased the flow capacity of the stations by 25 percent, which will reduce flooding and improve environmental and sanitary conditions in the city.
Helping to prevent flooding in El Paso
In El Paso, it’s not uncommon in the summer for a year’s worth of rain to fall in a matter of days. These rain events have caused serious damage throughout the city for years, and the flooding has always been particularly bad in the Chihuahuita historic district. A new storm water pumping station with Xylem’s Flygt pumps has helped solve this problem.
Dewatering a flooded oil refinery in Argentina
When a huge storm hit Buenos Aires in 2014, the state-run Ensenada oil refinery caught fire and its pump station and surrounding pathways were completely flooded. Xylem was commissioned to remove the flood water with its Godwin pumps in order to get the refinery back in operation as soon as possible.
Speeding up recovery in North and South Carolina
In October 2015, North and South Carolina experienced record-shattering rains and flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin. This “thousand-year storm” required a rapid emergency pumping response. Xylem delivered hundreds of portable Godwin pumps, from as far away as Wyoming and Texas, to key sites within a matter of hours.
Removing storm water after flooding in the Balkans
After devastating floods in the Balkans in 2014, Xylem provided dewatering equipment to assist with the relief effort. The company responded to the emergency within three days, providing Flygt and Lowara dewatering pumps to Serbia and Bosnia. The pumps are specifically designed to handle high volumes and the toughest operating conditions.
Cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy was one of the most devastating storms ever to hit the US East Coast, leaving an estimated $50 billion of damage in her wake. In the immediate aftermath, Xylem delivered more than 500 Godwin dewatering pumps to municipalities and industrial sites in affected areas. Three months later, more than 100 of them were still in service across the storm-battered region.
Developing a storm water system for New Jersey
Xylem was awarded a $2.7 million contract to supply the equipment and technology for a storm water drainage system to protect against future storm damage on the New Jersey coastline. The drainage solution is a key part of a $265 million reconstruction program implemented in the area following the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
