Double Wall Fiberglass Basin

Part Four: Dow Chemical Company in Plaquemine, Louisiana

Double Wall Fiberglass Basin

Part four of this industrial stormwater blog series has us going down to the banks of the Mississippi to the Dow Chemical Company Louisiana Operations in Plaquemine. This facility is gargantuan. Dow actually co-located two of their companies at the same facility, creating a huge manufacturing complex. The facilities produce plastics, solvents, paints, adhesives, cosmetics, detergents, pharmaceuticals, and much more. Romtec Utilities supplied Dow with a fully packaged fiberglass pump station that integrated into an existing stormwater and control system.

The number of products manufactured at the Plaquemine facility is substantive, and many of its products are chemical building blocks used in other manufacturing processes. A lot of these raw chemicals present hazards to the environment if they are not managed responsibly, and even with responsible handling, accidents and forces of nature can create events where environmental contamination is possible.

The location of this facility on the banks of the Mississippi River makes responsible stormwater management very important. Dow contacted Romtec Utilities to design and supply a fiberglass pump station that it could install and integrate into its stormwater system. Many of the large industrial customers follow the same path because they employ staff with expert knowledge of their systems but rely on Romtec Utilities for expert knowledge of individual pump stations.

The solution for this industrial stormwater pump station was truly a packaged system. Romtec Utilities worked with Xerxes, a fiberglass tank manufacturer, to prefabricate the pump station wet well with a large quantity of components installed. These components included the discharge elbows and piping, mounting brackets, entrance hatch, vent pipe, guide rails, conduit ports, and deflector panel.

Using this method of prefabrication eliminated a large amount of work that would need to be done on the job site. It also simplified the installation process so that Dow employees could facilitate installation without needing technical support. When Romtec Utilities sent down its start-up technician, the installation had been completed perfectly and was ready for tests and start-up.

The story of this lift station is two companies working together to maximize human resources and skills. Dow Chemical was able to purchase a packaged stormwater pump station, install it with its own employees, and utilize Romtec Utilities’ expertise in pump station design and supply. The final system is a sophisticated piece of technology that is integrated into Dow’s existing system.

Next week, the blog series travels downriver where Romtec Utilities installed a dual purpose stormwater pump station for Praxair Hydrogen Refinery in St. Charles, Louisiana.

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