A pump can fill a 15,000 gallon tank in 2 hours and 30 minutes. How long will it take to fill a 60,000 gallon tank at the same rate?

To determine how long it will take to fill a 60,000-gallon tank using a pump that fills a 15,000-gallon tank in 2 hours and 30 minutes, it is essential first to convert the time into hours. Two hours and thirty minutes equals 2.5 hours.

Next, calculate the rate of the pump in gallons per hour. Dividing the total gallons by the time gives you the rate:

15,000 gallons ÷ 2.5 hours = 6,000 gallons per hour.

Now that you know the pump fills at a rate of 6,000 gallons per hour, it’s time to figure out how long it would take to fill 60,000 gallons. Use the same division:

60,000 gallons ÷ 6,000 gallons per hour = 10 hours.

Thus, it will take 10 hours to fill a 60,000-gallon tank at the same rate as the initial scenario, making this the correct answer.

Understanding how to convert time into a usable format and perform basic calculations is critical in sewage treatment operations, where efficiency and accurate assessments of time and resource usage are essential.