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Six custom roof hatches give the EL47.5 pumping station in Washington a practical way to remove and replace very large pumps and motors: a crane can reach the equipment through openings in the roof. The hatches measure 6 feet 6 inches by 7 feet, use daylight-transmitting polycarbonate domes, include engineered lift assistance, and can be operated with a hand winch from inside the building. Those features were designed for this pump station; they are not a universal specification for every water facility.
The installation is one part of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project, which is moving Columbia Basin Project surface water to farms that have depended on a declining aquifer. Building Design + Construction described the project on February 9, 2022, while detailed hatch and capacity information comes from The BILCO Company and the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District.
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The access problem the pump station had to solve
Large vertical pumps and their motors eventually need inspection, overhaul or replacement. In a conventional enclosed pump building, the roof is often the only route wide and strong enough for a crane lift. If that route is omitted or undersized, a future replacement can require dismantling walls, cutting structural members or using a much more complicated lifting arrangement.
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For the EL47.5 station, the design team built access into the roof from the start. The six openings are positioned so a crane can lower into or lift out the pumping equipment. The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s project account describes the hatches as the route for reaching pumps and motors for maintenance and eventual replacement.
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What “custom” means in this installation
The documented openings are 6 feet 6 inches by 7 feet. Each has a polycarbonate dome that admits daylight, engineered assistance to reduce the effort needed to raise the cover, and a hand-winch arrangement that crews can operate from inside the building. These are project-specific modifications and dimensions, not evidence that every commercial roof hatch has the same clear opening, lifting mechanism or interior control.
Where EL47.5 fits in the Odessa water project
EL47.5 is a pumping station and distribution system in the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project. The project is intended to deliver Columbia Basin Project surface water to properties that currently use groundwater. The Washington Department of Ecology describes the broader infrastructure as including canal-turnout work, a large canal pump station, substation modifications and pipelines connecting the surface-water supply to farms.
The BILCO case study says EL47.5 construction was completed in late summer 2020 and the station became operational in spring 2021. It was described as the first of nine proposed pressurized pipeline systems intended to replace groundwater use on 87,000 acres across Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties.
“This is the first pumping plant in the project and the lands that it serves is what makes this pump station unique.”
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— Jon Erickson, East Columbia Basin Irrigation District and project manager of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project, as quoted by the district
Erickson also called the station “an important step in getting water to the farmers that need it.” The statement explains why access was treated as an operating requirement rather than an architectural detail: the station is an early, working link in a water-delivery network that must remain serviceable for decades.
How large is the EL47.5 station?
The published figures show why ordinary personnel doors or small roof openings would not be enough for this building. They are reported project values, not independently recalculated measurements.
| Item | Reported value | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Pump-station floor area | 12,800 square feet | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
| Pumps | Six total: one rated at 700 horsepower and five rated at 1,250 horsepower | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
| System delivery capacity | More than 63,000 gallons per minute | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
| Pumping-station output | Up to 73 million gallons per day | East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, 2021 |
| First-system service area | 10,500 acres | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
| EL47.5 water-system cost | $20.8 million | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
| Reported Odessa aquifer decline | More than 200 feet since 1980 | The BILCO Company case study; year not stated |
The two flow figures should not be treated as the same measurement. “More than 63,000 gallons per minute” is presented by the manufacturer as a delivery-capacity figure, while “up to 73 million gallons per day” is presented by the irrigation district as station output. The sources use different units and wording, and neither account supplies the operating conditions needed for an apples-to-apples conversion or comparison.
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How the hatch-and-crane access works
- Open the designated roof hatch. The cover is assisted by an engineered lifting system, and the project description says a hand winch can be operated from inside the building.
- Bring the crane over the opening. The opening is sized and located so lifting equipment can be positioned above the pump or motor that needs service.
- Rig the component for lifting. The crane connection and lifting plan must be coordinated with the pump manufacturer’s documented lifting points and the station’s structural design; the project sources do not publish those rigging details.
- Lift vertically through the roof. A clear path through the hatch lets a crew remove the component without demolishing the pump building.
- Close and secure the opening after the work. The cover’s weather, structural and safety performance must be restored before the building returns to normal operation; the published accounts do not state a specific code rating or load value for these hatches.
This sequence describes the access purpose documented for EL47.5, not a substitute for a site-specific lift plan. Actual work also requires the owner’s lockout, electrical, fall-protection, rigging and crane procedures.
Why daylighting was included
The polycarbonate domes admit natural light into a large industrial room. Daylighting can help crews see equipment during routine inspection and reduce dependence on electric lighting while the hatch is closed. The sources identify the daylight-transmitting cover but do not quantify energy savings, illumination levels or a measured labor benefit, so those outcomes should not be assumed.
Why interior operation matters
A hand winch operable from inside means a worker does not have to climb onto the roof simply to start opening the cover. That arrangement can simplify access planning in poor weather or during a maintenance shutdown. It does not eliminate the need for the station’s roof-access and fall-protection controls, and the project account does not publish a formal safety assessment.
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What the project is replacing
The Odessa project addresses groundwater use in a region where the aquifer has fallen substantially. The BILCO case study reports a decline of more than 200 feet since 1980. Its proposed nine-system plan would put Columbia Basin Project surface water in place of groundwater across 87,000 acres in Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties.
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EL47.5 is the first system in that plan and is reported to serve 10,500 acres. The manufacturer’s account puts the cost of the EL47.5 water system at $20.8 million, while the same account estimates the broader Odessa Ground Water Replacement Project at approximately $400 million. Those are source-reported project estimates; they should not be read as a current bid price, a per-acre cost or a forecast for later phases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to specify when a pump station needs crane access
The EL47.5 installation offers useful design questions for owners and engineers planning a similar facility. It does not establish a standard hatch model or a universal dimension.
1. Start with the complete lifting envelope
- Measure the largest pump, motor, gearbox or other item that may need removal, including rigging and any protective frame that must pass through the opening.
- Check the vertical travel from the equipment base to the crane hook position, not just the hatch’s nominal size.
- Reserve clearance for the crane boom, spreader beams and the building’s roof and structural members.
2. Match the roof structure to the lift
- Have the structural engineer verify the roof framing around each opening and the loads introduced by the hatch, maintenance traffic and lifting operation.
- Coordinate hatch curb, flashing and waterproofing details with the roof assembly.
- Obtain the required environmental and structural ratings for the project’s wind, snow, temperature and corrosion conditions. The published EL47.5 accounts do not state those ratings.
3. Decide how crews will open and secure the cover
- Compare assisted lifting, powered systems and manual mechanisms against the cover’s size, weight and maintenance schedule.
- Specify where the operator will stand and whether the mechanism can be reached from inside, as it can at EL47.5.
- Define positive latching, controlled closing and protection against unintended movement.
4. Treat daylighting as a separate performance choice
A translucent dome can improve daytime visibility, but the owner still needs to decide how much light is acceptable, how the material will perform under local weather and whether glare, heat gain or nighttime security affects the room. No project-level illumination or energy data was published for EL47.5.
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Invite the crane contractor, pump supplier, electrical team and operations staff to review the opening location. Verify the route from the equipment to the hatch, the staging area outside, traffic control and the time required to return the station to service. The value of a custom hatch is realized only if the entire removal path works in practice.
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What is established—and what is not
The available accounts establish that six custom roof hatches were incorporated into EL47.5 to provide crane access to pumps and motors, and they describe the dimensions, polycarbonate domes, lift assistance and interior hand-winch operation. They also identify Anderson Specialties as the supplier of the custom aluminum hatches in The BILCO Company’s case study.
They do not provide hatch model numbers, purchase prices, code classifications, load capacities, quantified installation or labor savings, or comparative test data against other hatch designs. They also do not show that a standard consumer hatch would fit a pump station or satisfy its structural, environmental and crane-clearance requirements. Any new project needs its own engineering review and manufacturer documentation.
Why the roof openings are part of the water-delivery strategy
At EL47.5, access equipment is tied directly to water reliability. The station’s six pumps—one 700 horsepower unit and five 1,250 horsepower units—are the machinery that moves surface water to the first 10,500-acre service area. A roof system that allows a crane to remove a failed or obsolete component can shorten the path from a maintenance decision to a physical replacement, even though the sources do not publish a measured downtime reduction.
That is the central lesson of the project: roof hatches are not being presented as a standalone product launch. They are custom infrastructure embedded in a regional effort to replace groundwater with Columbia Basin Project supplies. Their dimensions and operating features make sense because the building, pumps, crane path and long-term replacement plan were designed together.
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