A $50,000-plus machine that will pump water runoff from the interior of the new Ironton-Russell bridge during the event of a flood has been purchased for the City of Ironton by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

“Once the sluice gates are closed, this pump goes on the inside of the bridge to pump water out,” Mike Pemberton, street department superintendent, said. “The (US Army) Corps of Engineers requires us to have this machine.”

Sluice gates commonly control water levels and flow rates in rivers and canals.

Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said the machine would have to have been purchased by the city if ODOT hadn’t agreed.

“(The city) would have to buy it if ODOT hadn’t,” Blankenship said. “Then, we were going to split the cost, but ODOT agreed to go ahead and buy it and we can’t thank them enough. The city really doesn’t have an extra $50,000 to spend.”

The diesel-powered 5,250-pound CD225M Dri Pump can pump up to 20,000 gallons of water per minute.

“It is equipped with a sensor probe that makes it kick on automatically when the water touches it,” Pemberton said. “This is a vital piece of equipment to have.”

The city has a similar smaller pump that is used mainly to deal with mater main breaks. The new pump will be used for flood control.