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New Accessible Handpump for Campgrounds

Tyler Kuhn, Mechanical Engineer, and Bob Beckley, Project Leader

The Forest Service is committed to making our campgrounds and recreation sites accessible to individuals of all abilities. National and regional accessibility coordinators have been working with the Forest Service Technology and Development pro- gram to identify accommodation needs.

One recurring need has been an accessible handpump (figure 1) for potable water in Forest Service campgrounds and recreation sites.

Figure 1—The first Forest Service accessible
handpump was installed on the Lolo National
Forest in the fall of 2002.

The Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) conducted an indepth market search and found no hand-operated water pumps meeting the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines (14.15.4) require that an accessible handpump must operate with a maximum force of 5 pounds. The pump’s control heights should be between 28 and 40 inches from the ground. Industrial managers contacted by the center felt that private development of an accessible handpump was not economically feasible because the market was too limited.

MTDC designed and built an accessible handpump that meets ADA requirements. It operates with no more than 5 pounds of force (figure 2) and its handle is easy to reach and operate from a wheelchair.

Figure 2—Lightweight fiberglass pump sucker rods help the
accessible handpump meet the 5-pound maximum force
requirement of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The center built 12 accessible handpumps for field testing and they are installed at these locations:

• Tioga Lake Campground
  Inyo National Forest, Lee Vining, CA
  Contact Steve O’Connor, phone: 760–937–8427
  
  
• Bonfils-Stanton Outdoor Recreation Center
  Winter Park, CO
  Contact Beth Fox, phone: 970–726–1646
  
  
• Grouse Campground
  Payette National Forest, McCall, ID
  Contact Wayne Hersel, phone: 208–634–0740
  
  
• Norton Campground Lolo
  National Forest, Rock Creek, MT
  Contact Joe Kipphut, phone: 406–329–3970
  
  
• Holy Ghost Campground
  Santa Fe National Forest, Pecos, NM
  Contact Carol Linn, phone: 505–438–7879
  
  
• Elizabeth Furnace Campground
  George Washington National Forest, Edinburg, VA
  Contact Barry Stata, phone: 540–265–5192
  
  
• Woodbine Recreation Area
  Monongahela National Forest, Richwood, WV
  Contact Mary M. Smakula, phone: 304–636–1800, ext. 260
  
  
• Five campgrounds (Rawlings Field Station, BLM)
  Rawlings, WY
  Contact Mike Jensen, phone: 307–328–4380

All of the pumps were installed (figure 3) between the fall of 2002 and the summer of 2004. They have performed with few problems.

Figure 3—The accessible handpump is easily
installed on standard well casings.

E-mail: wo_mtdc_webmaster@fs.fed.us	Technology & Development Center

since May 31, 2005