Various improvements at the Stonehill Pump Station are planned to start later this year.

Flower Mound council members approved a contract with Clark Electric, Inc. worth over $3.7 million for the project during the June 2 meeting.

The overview

The pump station has been used by the town for about 20 years, according to town documents, with previous rehabilitation projects for a ground storage tank and replacements of discharge valves. Blake Hummel, a senior project engineer with the town, said several components within the pump station, including the switchgear and starters for the pumps, are approaching the end of their useful lives.

Hummel said the project, which will cost $3.74 million, will include:
  • Replacing starters for five pumps, two of which will be soft stars and the other three being variable frequency drives
  • Upgrading the main switchgear and backup battery system
  • Extending the electrical room topping slab and access ramp
  • Repairing the discharge meter vault crack
  • Addressing other minor site repairs, including the installation of a French drain system
“The big issue with the push to swap the soft starts and [variable frequency drives] is more of an operational component,” Hummel said. “We’re running into some issues with being able to overcome the differential pressure from inside the pump station to outside. It’s creating some additional friction and heat in those discharge vaults, so we’re burning through some of our recently revised discharge equipment prematurely.”


The switchgear replacement will help prevent the potential for a power failure, which could disrupt the town’s water supply, Hummel added.

Going forward

Construction on the improvements could start in July, officials said. Crews will sequence the replacement, which will allow the pump station to remain operational during construction, Hummel added.

“We’ve pulled this station down completely before in the winter months and we can feed the town through our second pump station,” Director of Public Works Brian Waltenburg said.


Construction is expected to be substantially complete next fall and be finished around late 2026, Hummel said.