MurCal Municipal has been automating engine and electric motor driven pumps for over 60 years. With our vast library of proven control strategies, solving problems and coming up with solutions for our customers for decades, we can tailor a custom solution for the unique needs of each municipality. We understand that the needs of each water district vary and solutions are not one size fits all. Using sensors and artificial intelligence to predict failures and make more informed decisions is more important than ever.

We understand the various challenges that can plague a water district. From various old pumps where sensors cannot be installed to, to leaking pipes, the infrastructure can include reservoirs, pump stations and treatment plants, water mains, sewage lines and storm drains. Having obsolete controls can lead to lawsuits if floods are not contained and we also understand that different municipalities have different needs, specifically in small or rural areas. Using innovative technology can save money in the long run and can improve efficiency and performance, especially during natural disasters and emergencies of all kinds.

About Our Municipal Division

Our municipal division was founded on the principle of developing efficient solutions to many of the control problems facing modernized water and sewage pumping stations, including flood control, sewage lift, well pumping and water booster applications. We build rugged, industry proven, SCADA system compatible control panels from the ground up to meet the specific requirements of the project.  MurCal is known for Engine Control and we’ve supplied Water Districts with control solutions in many states including California, Arizona, Texas, New Jersey, Washington, Florida and Nevada. For many years we have specialized in municipal pump control applications for our clients that own and operate electric motor driven pump control solutions, diesel and natural gas combustion engines.

We offer a complete integrated panel solutions for water wells, booster pumps, flood control, and sewage lift and central controllers to manage complete stations with remote monitoring and alarms. Since we design, build, and program our control systems, we have an advantage when it comes to service. We’re with you every step of the way, making sure your installation is perfect and that you understand all the benefits of your new system from day one. We have the ability to monitor a station’s operations from an internet connected device during a storm event, then call the operators with suggested set-point changes the following day.
Our team is composed of dedicated professionals that live and breathe municipal control applications. Their expertise is without comparison, starting with our very own John Murphy, which has over 60 years of personal experience designing, testing, and troubleshooting control systems. We call him the “guru of municipal controls”. He is still as active as ever with the application and design teams. Our team comprises other brilliant engineers , one of which has 15 years of engineering experience designing and testing control systems. He honed his craft by working and learning directly from our “guru”. Another engineer that joined us 13 years ago gained experience in the telecommunications field. He is the expert team lead in hardware and software design for our current line of municipal specific control platforms. Let’s not forget our very own Bill Meyer, now retired, who Invented the microprocessor-based engine automatic pump controller in 1979.

From Simple to Sophisticated, We've got you Covered.

Our PowerCore® Series is designed for general, all-purpose manual/auto start and manual/auto throttling engine controllers and is purposed primarily for applications where a wide array of inputs and outputs are not required.

What we generally recommend for our Municipal Clients is our 800 Series, as it’s a Full Featured Municipal Pump Control Panel, designed to work with a multi-engine system.

Click here to view our entire line!

The Series 800 is an all-purpose, highly configurable engine controller, designed to meet the needs of nearly every municipality. The controller is designed to be a municipal-specific control platform, and incorporates the necessary hardware to efficiently execute these projects.
The Series 800 control platform embodies the culmination of the experience we have gained over nearly 60 years in the control business. We enhanced the standard features, lowered the cost, increased the connectivity options, and increased the configurability by basing the controller on Linux, an open-source operating system.
The Series 800 benefits from a simplified modular design. We've reduced installation and maintenance costs, while greatly increasing the quality and reliability of the product. The Series 800's single board design eliminates the majority of inter-panel wiring that is traditionally seen with PLC control panels, while retaining features such as true hardware interlocks for local and remote E-Stops.

The Series 800 has the ability to withstand a wide ambient temperature range, comes standard in a NEMA 4X rated enclosure and has an HMI display that is viewable in extreme environments. Our Control Panel starts in the $13k and up depending on your configuration which will be tailored depending on your needs.
We’ve got your accessory items too! Air Fuel Ratio Controllers, IntelliSpark® Ignition Systems, Engine Instrumentation, Battery Chargers, Pilot Relays, Exhaust Catalysts and Housings, Silencers & Spark Plugs.

Features

*Suitable for Booster, Well, and Flood Control Applications

*Large 7" touch HMI with Rich, Full-Color Graphics

*Single-Board Design Simplifies Maintenance

*Wi-Fi or Cellular Modem Capable

*Manual & Auto-Start Capable with Throttling Options

*Top of the line, full-featured control panels

*Terminal block connections

*High-end color touchscreen HMI

*Extended I/O options to meet any municipal pumping specification

*Central station controllers available

*Stainless steel available

*Designed for multiple pump stations

*Compatible with sump pumps, VFD drives, and valves

*2-year warranty*

*Remote monitoring IoT services availability

John Murphy always gives a demonstration in the test room of the central control to test for modifications, set up, simulations, adjustments etc. He explaines exactly how it works and how highly configurable the software is, extremely adaptable for every situation. He said that on the Series 800 they have automatic switchover from the primary, natural gas operation to backup LPG fuel. The fuel sources are switched and the Murphy Air fuel ratio (AFR) controller and Murphy InteliSpark ignition seamlessly change fuel and timing settings for the most effective and efficient emissions control.

In order to give our customers as many choices as possible, we also carry the Danfoss Drive line for Municipal Water Districts.

What About Emissions?

One other thing we can help is your emission standards.
Many municipalities have an additional challenge outside of engine controls. An increasing number must meet or exceed a variety of engine emissions standards. Meeting these standards can be achieved by adding a plug-n-play FW Murphy Air Fuel Ratio controller to the enclosure. AFR information is directly displayed on the existing Series 800 HMI display.
Additionally, a Johnson Matthey emissions control solution including housing and elements may be required, based upon your emissions requirements.