Layered Wet Well Engineered for a 40′ Lift Station

Not every pump station looks the same from top to bottom.

And at the Airpark 599 industrial area in Stockton, California, that idea rang especially true.

Reaching nearly 40 feet deep in an area with groundwater at grade, this lift station demanded a different approach. Instead of a standard design, the solution took shape as a layered system, with each section engineered for the challenging site conditions.

From the start, this wasn’t just about building deep, it was about leveraging Jensen’s engineering prowess to deliver a fully custom pump station.

With the lift station needing to be so deep and the groundwater level at grade, the structure had to not only resist strong soil pressures that come at that depth, but it also had to resist a highly saturated soil. The deep wet soil meant the walls of the base sections had to be abnormally thick at 28”.

Designing to ACI 350 standards added another layer of complexity, increasing reinforcement requirements to minimize cracking and reduce the risk of water infiltration.

At the same time, the size of the structure introduced logistical constraints. With several pieces exceeding 75,000 pounds, oversized load permits and CHP escorts were required for transport.

Balancing structural demands with manufacturing and logistics meant every part of Jensen’s operation had to perform.

Jensen delivered a custom “layer cake” wet well, optimizing wall thickness throughout the structure based on depth and loading conditions.

The base sections were built with 28” thick walls, with subsequent sections reducing in thickness to as little as 10” thick at the top. This approach minimized unnecessary material while maximizing the height of each riser, reducing the total number of sections required.

Fewer sections meant fewer pours, fewer deliveries, and a more efficient installation.

The final structure included one of the widest products Jensen has ever shipped, with a base slab measuring over 18′ by nearly 20′ and weighing more than 70,000 lbs. In total, six components exceeded 70,000 lbs.

The result is a highly engineered pump station that proves even at extreme depths, efficiency can be built in from the ground up.

Need a custom design for your project? Contact Jensen Infrastructure today.