New pump station in Hampton strategically disguised to look like a home

A new pump station in Hampton might go unnoticed by passersby as it was made to fit in to its residential neighborhood.

The Glannon pump station, a $1.75 million project, was constructed to look like a house so as not to be an eyesore in the neighborhood.

“Great attention was paid to the design to make sure it blended in with the surroundings,”council President Mike Peters said.

The exterior of the structure is made of brick and siding, complete with a covered front “porch” and garage door.

The interior of the new building at the corner of Mt. Royal Boulevard and Hampton Avenue contains the equipment needed to monitor and operate the wastewater pumping system below.

Peters said the project was launched in 2017 when Hampton found it necessary to replace the Allison Park Water Pollution Control Plant. The reasons for the upgrade were twofold, Peters said.

Construction brought the site into compliance with current and future state Department of Environmental Protection guidelines and replaced an existing plant that had fallen into disrepair.

Peters said the original pump station, which was located across Mt. Royal on the corner of the Glannon Shopping Center parking lot, had long outlived its usefulness.

Council acquired property on the corner of Hampton Avenue for the new project and a $500,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County helped offset the costs.