North Central Branch Historical Landmark Award luncheon
On December 10, 2002, the North Central Branch of the Indiana Section ASCE
held their final 150th Anniversary Event to cap off a year of
celebrations. The special noon luncheon was held at the historic Tippecanoe
Place restaurant in South Bend.
South Bend Mayor Stephen J. Luecke and Mishawaka Mayor Robert C. Buetter
presented Mayoral Proclamations (See link at left) to the Civil Engineering Community honoring
their contributions to the quality of life we all enjoy, as designers of our
nation’s infrastructure.
The North Central Branch also presented its first annual Civil
Engineering Historical Landmark Award to the City of South Bend Water
Works North Pumping Station for its historical value and significance to the
community.
Photo at left: Presentation of Historic Landmark Award
Center: John Wiltrout, South Bend Water Works. Left: Mike Guzik, Right:
Roger Nawrot, both of North Central Branch, ASCE, Indiana Section.
The City of South Bend Water Works North Pumping Station, a
major drinking water source for the citizens of South Bend, is located on
the banks of the St. Joseph River in Historic Leeper Park.
The North Pumping Station dates back to 1895. At that time a
system of thirty 6-inch wells were drilled by American Well Works. By 1906
the growth of the City demanded the increase from thirty to forty-four
wells. These forty-four wells fed into a 30-inch and 20-inch cast-iron
water main infrastructure that is still used today.
From its inception, the North Pumping Station has been
continually improved, renovated and restored, always maintaining its
historic façade, while providing a major portion of the supply of safe
drinking water to the citizens of South Bend.
CITY OF SOUTH BEND WATER WORKS NORTH
PUMPING STATION
The City of South Bend Water Works North Pumping Station, a
major drinking water source for the citizens of South Bend, is located on
the banks of the St. Joseph River in Historic Leeper Park.
In 1820 Pierre Navarre established the first permanent
dwelling of St. Joseph County, the log cabin still standing in its original
location in today’s Leeper Park; both the structure and the park are
registered as National Historic Landmarks. The North Pumping Station,
constructed in 1895, is located immediately west of the Navarre log cabin,
on the east side of Michigan Street (S.R. 933). The pumping station
building was designed with due regard for its surroundings; located in one
of the City’s most scenic parks. It is a handsome and timeless structure
with its dark brown face brick and cut limestone-accented exterior
punctuated by a two-story entry portico featuring cut stone columns.
Topping the building are its red tiled roof with copper accents and
twin-domed caps flanking the entry portico.
The City of South Bend Water Works is proud of its ability to
preserve this vital and historical landmark. The American Water Works
Association (AWWA) was duly impressed with the facility and at its State
convention, in 2001 awarded the South Bend Water Works North Pumping Station
the AWWA Water Landmark Award.
From its inception, the North Pumping Station has been
continually improved, renovated and restored, always maintaining its
historic façade, while providing a major portion of the supply of safe
drinking water to the citizens of South Bend.
The North Pumping Station dates back to 1895. At that time a
system of thirty 6-inch wells were drilled by American Well Works. By 1906
the growth of the City demanded the increase from thirty to forty-four
wells. These forty-four wells fed into a 30-inch and 20-inch cast-iron
water main infrastructure that is still used today.
In 1912 improvements and additions to the facility included
the addition of a 78-inch by 175-foot reinforced concrete tile stack, a
6.0-million gallon concrete reservoir, a brick concrete suction well, twenty
new supply wells, two 5-million gallon/day (MGD) compound rank and fly-wheel
pumping engines, two 8-MGD low service engine driven centrifugal pumps, four
300-horsepower (HP) Freeman and 150 HP Babcock & Wilcox boilers with
auxiliaries and Jones stokers. As part of the improvements, the building
was partitioned into four general departments: the main pump room with all
new pumping equipment; the north pumping room with old pumping equipment;
the boiler room to hold all of the steam generating equipment including that
necessary for coal and ash handling; and the repair shop to handle general
machine repair for the water department. The 6-million gallon reinforced
concrete reservoir was designed with astute attention to its surroundings.
Its design adds beauty to the park while providing a vital element to the
pumping facility. The suction well was designed as an equalizer for the
flows from the bountiful artesian wells, with low service pumps used to
replenish the stored water in the reservoir from the suction well.
In 1924 the 3-MGD and 6-MGD direct acting tandem compound
pumping engines were replaced with an 8-MGD General Electric turbine-driven
tandem centrifugal pump. These pump was used only for peak loads.
The system of artesian wells filling the suction well and
utilizing the low-lift steam pumps to fill the reservoir was employed until
1947. At the end of 1948 the plant was equipped with 4 new wells each
having minimum capacities of 4 MGD. Four 4160-Volt high service motors with
250 to 450 HP were harnessed to four Worthington pumps having outputs from 2
to 10 MGD. All of the old 4-inch artesian wells have been sealed but one
can still find brick well pits located throughout Leeper Park.
Beginning in November 1998 the North Pumping Station was
renovated. The cast-iron mains, from 1906, are used in much the same way
they were used in the past, the difference being now that the pump effluent
is now a 10-inch line and works as a vein to a main artery. The facility
has been transformed into a filtration plant complete with office space,
laboratory and classroom. As part of this renovation the reservoir was
divided and baffled using two influent and two effluent 12-inch mains to
direct the water. All four mains still use the cast-iron infrastructure to
get water to and from the reservoir’s filtered storage. During this project
the exterior of the building was not disturbed in order to maintain its
historical integrity. The original windows were restored to take advantage
of the high ceilings and large arched window frames. The copper flashing
and the red roof tiles were restored to their original luster.
We honor this facility today, because as it has for the past
107 years, the North Pumping Station continues its valuable service of
providing the citizens of the City of South Bend with a substantial share of
their safe and clean drinking water and because it is a fitting monument to
the value of the contributions Civil Engineers make to the quality of our
lives.
