Which Pump Station is Right for Me?

July 18, 2025

3 Willow engineers lifting a sewage pump to service it Wastewater pump stations are essential at certain commercial sites to facilitate the flow of foul water and waste. They’re used when a traditional gravity-type connection wouldn’t work to transfer wastewater away from a site and to an area where it can join the existing network. If you can’t achieve a traditional connection to the sewer network, a pump station will provide a solution.

Here, we explore the three main types of below-ground pump station, and the design and installation services we can offer at Willow Pumps to create a solution tailored to your needs.

Which Pump Station is Right for Me?

There are three main types of below-ground pump stations.

Package Pump Station

A package pump station is a simple yet versatile option, suited to most sites. However, they’re less suited to sites with a high-water table or limited access for installation. Package pumps are the most cost-efficient pump solution, and installation is usually simple and quick.

The tank is delivered to site with the pipework and valves already installed, and once surrounded in concrete, a single site attendant is required to install the pumps and commission the system. If package pump stations aren’t installed correctly, they are prone to failure from water ingress, and they also have the shortest life span of all pump types.

Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pump chambers are not structural units in themselves and rely on the concrete surround to provide support. GRP package pump stations will also typically not be adopted, so although the upfront cost is cheaper, over their life span, they typically end up costing more.

Pre-Cast Concrete Pump Station

A pre-cast concrete (PCC) pump station is a type of underground chamber built using PCC ring sections or cast in situ. Pumps, pipework and ancillary equipment can then be installed into the chamber.

PCC pump stations can be tailored to suit most environments; however, they lend themselves best to sites where larger or deeper than standard wet wells are required, or on sites where a non-circular shape is required. They are also typically a more robust and durable solution when compared to GRP pumps, and therefore, they have a longer life span than a package pump station. However, they are more expensive to produce and install, with commissioning taking longer than a package pump.

Typical PCC pump chambers have a diameter ranging from 1.5m up to 3m, but smaller and larger sizes are available where required.

Adoptable Pump Station

An adoptable pump station is a PCC pump station that is then offered for adoption to the Sewerage Undertakers under a Section 104 agreement. As such, they offer all the same benefits of a PCC pump station!

Sewer Sector Guidance (SSG) is a set of published texts that contains guidance for the design and construction of sewers and pump stations. SSG replaced Sewers for Adoption (SFA) in 2020. Each sewerage undertaker then has a set of their own published addendums that contain guidance on their specified requirements.

As these pump stations are offered for adoption to the relevant water authority, the cost of maintenance is ultimately taken on by them.

Station Pump Design

Here at Willow Pumps, we can design, supply and install a bespoke pump station solution to fulfil the needs of your site, providing a comprehensive and efficient service for all stages of the process. In fact, we offer a free pump station design service if you book your supply and installation with us.

This is how it works:

You send us some information about your premises and requirements. We’ll review it and be in touch to discuss your options and next steps.
We’ll carry out the necessary calculations on site, then provide you with our proposal and recommendations.
Once you’ve given our proposal your approval, our in-house team will design a pump station to meet your system requirements, appropriately sizing the chambers, pumps and pipework required.
We’ll then deliver the pumps, pipework, and ancillary equipment ahead of installation.
Once the chambers have been constructed, our engineers will attend site twice to install the pipework and valves. The initial visit will cover installation of the pipework and valves, while the second visit comprises the installation of the pumps and controls before moving on to the commissioning of the system.
You simply advise us when you’re ready for commissioning, and one of our teams will attend site to complete the process.

Speak to Willow Pumps

At Willow Pumps we have a team of experts available to discuss pump stations, and pump station design, with advice on how a pump station might benefit your business and how to maintain one long term.