Pumping stations that must meet a wide range of demands present a challenge for a water utility. This is especially true for small stations because features that would enable the pumps to operate efficiently (e.g. elevated storage) are not justifiable because of cost in many cases. This paper examines the tradeoffs between energy costs and capital costs of measures to improve pump efficiency. In general, if actual flows are close to peak design flows, constant speed pumping into a dead end system has the lowest life-cycle cost. Inclusion of a small jockey pump in a pump station may be more cost effective if the actual flow is usually much lower than the design flow. Alternatives such as hydropneumatic tanks and variable speed drives are cost effective in some special situations.
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