Klingner presented Muscatine-Louisa Drainage District #13 (MLDD) with its 2024 Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Iowa (ACEC-IA) at the District’s meeting on July 19. The Klingner and MLDD pump rehabilitation and diesel engine replacement project was selected in the Special Projects category at the Iowa Engineering Conference in May.

In 2021, MLDD hired Klingner to provide design and coordination for the replacement of their primary pump station’s antiquated diesel engine and refurbishment of the pump. Parts were no longer available for the 1930s-era industrial marine engine, and the pump was performing at roughly 74% of its design capacity. Klingner’s engineers discovered that the pump, which was in near perfect condition after 50 years, was actually capable of pumping more water. Rather than maintain the station’s previous performance, the team undertook a complex reverse engineering project to refurbish the pump and select a replacement engine, right-angle gear, and high-speed drive shaft that were capable of pumping more.

The project, which required considerable skill and expertise to achieve full efficiency and safe operation, was completed for less than half the cost of a total replacement. Since becoming operational in February 2023, MLDD has seen an 87% increase in pumping capacity.

“We appreciate the trust that MLDD placed in our ability to achieve more within the tough limitations of this project,” said the project manager, Bryan Bross, PE, RG. “We’re glad that we can extend the usefulness of this equipment over the next several decades.”

Reliable pumping is crucial to the safety and livelihood of thousands within the MLDD watershed. The area contains numerous homes, farmland, railroad lines, US Highway 61, multiple industrial entities, grain terminals, and the Muscatine Municipal Airport.

“Klingner worked with us at every stage of this project to make it successful,” said MLDD chairman Rodd McNeal. “Their knowledge of the ‘pull-out’ pump design and our operations resulted in a refurbished pump and replacement diesel engine that will serve our community well for many decades.”

To qualify for the award, projects must have been completed anywhere in the world by an Iowa-based firm between Nov. 1, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2023. Nominees are evaluated based on overall engineering excellence; the work performed by the entering firm; and the project’s uniqueness, value to the engineering profession, design considerations, complexity, and fulfillment of the owner’s needs.

Pictured above (from left to right): Beau Bonnichsen (MLDD – Pump Operator), Rodd McNeal (MLDD – Trustee), Robert Cook (MLDD – Trustee), Terry Martin (MLDD – Trustee), Bryan Bross, PE (Klingner – Project Manager)