It is not always possible to supply water to a pool using gravity, as is the case for whitewater runs in water courses. To solve this problem, a pumping station, which allows the installation to be used flexibly and safely, can be installed.
A pumping station is a reinforced concrete structure whose size varies in accordance with the stadium’s desired characteristics (height, flow rate) and the nature of the ground, on which the foundations depend. The type of pump commonly used for the pumping stations is a submersible axial-flow pump (which is also used within treatment stations, for example). The pumps usually move 1 to 5 m3 of water per second over a height of 2 to 5 metres, or more. Each pump unit will be installed in a metal tube which is often vertical and whose downstream section is submerged. The installation of several pumps allows the operator to vary the course’s flow rate more easily.
The operating principle of a pumping station : the type of water supply chosen depends on several parameters (nature of the water, total level difference, distance between the discharge point and the intake point, variations within the bodies of water, unit flow rate of each pump, etc.). The pump serves to channel water back to the start of the whitewater course and allows the water’s flow rate to be controlled and/or altered over the course in accordance with the users’ abilities, for example. Consequently, the water supply of a whitewater stadium can function within a closed system, as was the case in Sydney. Water is fed back from the finish point to the start point with a number of pumps that depends on local circumstances. A pumping station can also be used to complement a gravity-based water supply system during a low water period.
This pumping station system is used for whitewater stadiums as well as the Wavestadium® and RiverBox®.
