New 5th Street Pump System Handles Memorial Day Storm
The 2023 Memorial Day weekend storm dumped more than two inches of rain on North Beach—primarily on Monday afternoon—and provided a solid test for the new 5th Street pump system. As it turned out, the new system was more than up to the challenge as shown in the photo below. No flooding occurred on Bay Avenue at any time during the storm.
As we know, two inches of rainfall within a similar timeframe in the past would have quickly overwhelmed the legacy pumping system, flooding Bay Avenue, making it impassable to vehicles and pedestrians, inconveniencing homeowners, and forcing businesses to close until the water receded. The new configuration, which was completed by the Department of Public Works this spring, consists of two new variable-speed pumps that work in tandem with the existing pump to empty the large storm drain that collects rainfall along the 5th Street corridor.
The system is capable of moving thousands of gallons per minute, which proved more than adequate for the Memorial Day weekend storm—as well as the preceding storm on May 13, 2023.
