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| | Eaupen for business in 1993. The Austerlitz pumping station. |
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Austerlitz is also part of a safety system in the event of environmental accidents. Heavy industry and nuclear power stations operate upstream of Paris, and if the water supply should become polluted or tainted, the Austerlitz station can pump water from other sources to a purification plant to process drinking water.
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Austerlitz plays a discreet yet important part in supplying the Parisian water distribution network. It is the main station of the French capital's secondary water network, which carries only raw water. Austerlitz is also a key link for securing a supply of water to the new drinking water production plant in Ivry, a town located upstream of Paris. It is managed by SAGEP (Société des Eaux de Paris - the Paris Water Company). SAGEP has the task of producing and supplying 800,000 m3 of drinking water each day to 4 million residents, as well 400,000 m3 of raw water to flush sewers and clean streets.
"We supply drinking water from one network, raw water from the other"
The raw water network for Paris is drawn from the Seine and Ourcq Channel today. Before distribution, the raw water is screened and filtered down to particles one millimeter in size at the La Villette, Austerlitz and Auteuil production plants, which alternate with six lifting plants. The water is distributed through 1,600 km of pipes independent of the drinking water network and storage tanks in seven districts of Paris. The raw water network in Paris is unique for a city. Its main purpose is to use unpotable water, instead of drinking water, to flush sewers, water gardens, clean out gutters and supply fire hydrants. The Austerlitz pumping plant, in its new modernized form, is one of the core components in this network system. The dual network system has its roots in the work of a 19th century engineer, Eugène Belgrand whose ambition led to the start of what has become Paris' 2,100 kilometers of sewers. This, in turn, has allowed the building of the two separate networks in lined galleries: a drinking water network 1,700 kilometers long and a 1,600 kilometer raw water network.
21st century pumping station
The Austerlitz pumping station chamber consists of a concrete cylinder 30 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep. Inside the cylinder, 11 ITT Flygt submersible pumps and four vertical booster pumps deliver 150,000 m3 of raw water per day to the secondary network.
"In every respect it is a pumping station to be proud of"
The station's ultramodern, 21st century design is the creation of Pierre Desbrueres, chief engineer in charge of SAGEP's Maintenance and Realization Department (SRM). With the cylindrical architecture of the station, several functions that are normally performed in line can be linked at the same point instead. At Austerlitz, water flows from the center to the periphery of the station. The Austerlitz pumping station incorporates a number of functions: water intake, controls, screening, filtering and pumping in a circular configuration, including the booster pumps. All electrical equipment - the high voltage delivery station, transformer station and distributed switchboard - is installed in the modern access building, the only visible part of the station. The combination of 11 submersibles and four boosters enabled the construction of a very compact station, compared to conventional solutions with dry-mounted pumps. The entire pumping station is actually similar to a shunting center, since its valve chamber, comprising 70 units, switches
The Austerlitz pumping station houses 11 submersible pumps and four vertical booster pumps. water to different pipe systems, depending on the end use of the raw water. The plant is fully automated and managed by ten PLCs linked with SAGEP's central technical management system in Paris.
Interconnecting water intakes
SAGEP's mission is to supply water in a secure manner to Parisians and the company interconnects the water intakes in the Marne and Seine to achieve this. This is also one of the main functions of the Austerlitz pumping station, which can supply the Ivry drinking water plant from the Ourcq Channel.
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The combination of the submersible and booster pumps made the construction of the compact Austerlitz station possible.
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The residential water supply is handled by two private companies, La Compagnie des Eaux de Paris for the Right Bank, and La Societe Parisienne des Eaux for the Left Bank. Flygt has helped to turn Austerlitz pumping station into one of the most advanced and efficient systems, supplying raw water to one of Europe's largest and most demanding cities. During 1993 two more Flygt pumps will be installed at Austerlitz and complete the final stage - thus completing the final stage of this unique network.
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The Austerlitz pumping station when completed will be amongst the most modern in France. Its cylindrical shape facilitates the execution of several functions simultaneously; water flows from the station's center to its periphery.
The valve chamber switches water to different pipes depending on its final purpose.
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These three illustrations are horizontal cross-sections at different levels. The first of these is a cross-section through the upper part of the pumping station. All electrical parts are stored at a level below the access building. Also at this point are the ventilation and storage rooms.
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The level at which the water is shunted and the booster pumps which push the flow further along the system. If necessary the station can also pump water from other sources to a purification plant to provide drinking water.
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The lower level of the station houses the submersible pumps. Every day Paris receives 150,000 m3 of water from the Austerlitz station. Raw water is used for non-domestic purposes, including fire fighting and flushing sewers.
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Other installations
In addition to the Austerlitz pumping station, ITT Flygt products are also being used in the Ivry Relief Station (4 CT 3500s, 140 kW) and the Villette Relief Station (3 CP 3530s, 375 kW, and 3 CP 3350s, 315 kW). During 1993, two CP 3531s, 450 kW, will also be installed in the Austerlitz station for the final stage of this network.
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During the second empire (1852-1870) Eugène Belgrand, graduate of Poly-technic Institute and civil engineer, started the gargantuan project to build the city's water and sewage system. Today, Paris can thank him for 2,100 km of sewers which allowed the construction of two separate water supply networks in lined galleries: a drinking water network 1,700 km long, and a 1,600 km raw water network.
Photo from the Boulevard de Strasbourg collector.
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Paris is unique in many ways, even in its water supply system. Unlike most cities, the French capital has its own network for raw water - water that is not drinkable but can be used for watering gardens, cleaning streets and fighting fires. One of the pumping stations in this system, located near the Austerlitz railway station, is currently being modernized and upgraded with ITT Flygt pumps. When finished in mid 1993, the new Austerlitz station will provide 150,000 m3 of raw water to the City of Light every day.