A Louisville MSD project to replace an outdated major part of the system protecting the city from flooding hit 75 percent completion in June. Work on the new Paddy’s Run Flood Pump Station began in April 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2027.
The new Paddy’s Run facility will have more than twice the current station’s ability to pump stormwater out of overflowing inland creeks and into the Ohio River. The building that will hold the pumps has been constructed along with a needed access ramp. It’s located next to the old one where Bells Lane meets the river.
Eight pumps will be installed in the 12,000 square-foot station, giving it the ability to move 1.9 billion gallons of water per day, more than double the present station’s 875-million-gallon capacity. Turning all eight pumps on at once could drain an Olympic sized swimming pool in under 30 seconds.
The old facility is running on original parts installed when Paddy’s Run was built in 1953 that are no longer available for replacement, MSD Flood Protection Director Dane Anderson said. “The lifecycle of that equipment is way past its expectation, and there was a high risk of failure if we did not replace it,” Anderson said.
Executive Director Tony Parrott said, “An upgrade project of this caliber is a massive undertaking, but ultimately one that will have extraordinary benefits for the community. With the increased frequency of severe weather events, we need a facility that can handle the environmental demands of our times.”
Paddy’s Run protects 214,500 people, 70,000 homes, 60 businesses and 40 neighborhoods from flooding. The original station will remain active until the new station is live and properly tested. More than 43,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured for the structure.
With walls, roofs and other structural work mostly finished, the focus now moves to mechanical and utility work such as electrical, HVAC and piping, in preparation of installation of the pumps this fall.
Six of those pumps will weigh 50 tons and run at 3,000 horsepower. The other two will weigh 27 tons and run at 1,500 horsepower.
In total, the upgrade project at Paddy’s Run is expected to cost around $230 million. MSD worked to minimize the project’s cost to ratepayers by securing around $123 million in grants, principal forgiveness loans or low interest loans.
