Romtec Utilities determines between a deflector panel and a drop bowl by looking at the inflow rate to the wet well. In most situations, inflow rates below 200 gpm can be handled by a drop bowl. When inflow rates are higher than 200 gpm, the drop bowl size required to catch the inflow encroaches on other elements in the wet well. Pulling out the pumps for maintenance is one such activity that limits the space available for a drop bowl. This is done by sliding the pumps back up the guide bars they were installed on. If the drop bowl is too big, the pumps can’t be removed from the wet well. A deflector panel will typically be used in situations where the inflow rate is higher than 200 gpm. A deflector panel is a large sheet of heavy-duty plastic that is mounted to the wall of the wet well. The deflector panel succeeds in reducing in-well turbulence with high inflow rates while requiring a smaller footprint than a drop bowl.