A 1 HP pump should give you 40-60 lbs no problem on 1.5" I would reccommend a very small pressure tank and a pressure switch to start and stop the pump. This way all you would have to do, is open a valve on the end where you connect the hose. This does not apply to underground sprinkler heads. There would be no reason for a tank / switch then.

Mmmmmmm OK... irrigation I assume, means that you are letting the water run freely out of the discharge from the pump and not trying to get any pressure from it. I can also see this working for filling that swimming pool, when you get it. Water is water, for the most part. You can super chlorinate the pool once it is filled. That will kill everthing that is in the water and then either the skimmer or the pool vac will clean out any debris. And that's not your average sump pump that you find at most big box stores. LOL That's a real kick-ass pump meant to do some serious work. If the use of this pump is going to be a long-term thing, then here is an option. If I was in your position, I would try and find a utility sub-contractor. These are private enterprises that do work for local hydro authorities. The string overhead wires on hydro poles and sometimes install service lines into homes and businesses. As such, they often have huge reels of wire sitting in their yards that was provided to them by the local utilities. However, those local utilities often change their minds about the type of wire that they want these people to install. When that happens, partial reels of wire end up sitting in the contractor's yard for years. So......... guys like you and me can often buy this surplus wire for a song. You should ask them if they have any #2 or #3 tri-plex overhead wire around that is now obsolete. Both of these consist of two insulated aluminum conductors plus an un-insulated neutral lead. You then need a five hundred foot length of 1 1/4" black poly pipe. You can use compressed air to blow a piece of fishing line through the pipe first and then use that to pull a 1/4" poly rope through. The poly rope will then be used to pull the tri-plex through. Rent a chain-type trencher that will dig two feet deep and install the poly pipe in that trench. Backfill the trench. Down by the river, dig a post hole and install a 4x4 PT post three and a half feet into the ground and 4 and a half feet above grade. Put a eight by eight by four inch deep plastic electrical junction box on that pole. Using a combination of fittings, you can change from the poly pipe to the gray PVC electrical pipe down at the bottom of the trench. This will allow you to bring the electrical PVC pipe up one side of the pole and properly into the plastic junction box. You can use the bare conductor of the Tri-plex as your ground lead and the other two will give you 240 volts for the pump or 120 volts. IF you need 120, then wrap WHITE tape around one of the insulated leads to signify that it's the neutral. You can use split bolts to connect regular copper wiring to the Tri-plex. Just use the correct paste on the aluminum first before taping up the exposed split bolt connections really, really well. Up at the house, mount another junction box on the foundation wall, a foot or so above grade. Use a small diameter carbide bit to drill through the center of the back of the junction box and into the foundation wall. Remove the box and drill the appropriate size hole through the foundation wall to allow 10/2 Romex to enter the junction box. Use split connectors, tape and paste to make these connections. The Romex will now go to a dedicated breaker in your panel for this pump. The breaker choice will depend upon the voltage of the pump. If it's 240, then you need a double pole 15 amp breaker most likely. At most, 20 amp but that will be determined by the current being drawn by the pump. For 120 volt, a single pole 20 amp or 30 amp may be required. Do the same transition from poly to PVC pipe at the house as you do at the pole by the river. I have personally done this type of installation many times in the past. The oversized aluminum wire will give you the needed amperage because the line losses are negligible. I would backfill the trench to within six inches of grade and then lay that yellow or red CAUTION tape in the trench before completing the backfill. That way, if you hit the tape in the future, you know that the wire is just below. You can then put an appropriate outlet for the pump in another plastic receptacle box, just below the junction box and if you need a switch to control the pump, then add that too.

"Has anyone heard of a variable speed pump, I saw an article that said this could be a fix to my low water volume?" No. And admittedly without seeing it, I am making some assumptions, but it doesn't sound like the solution to the problem. Domestic water pumps usually work over a range of pressure - say 30-50 psi or 40-60 psi. The pump comes on at the low end and goes off at the high. That obviously causes some variability at the faucet. But if everything is working right and sized properly, it should be a fairly smooth transition. It sounds like a variable speed pump would adjust (ie: slow down) to match the water being supplied to the load required. Having your water pressure fluctuate while the faucet is on (going up and down as the pump cycles) doesn't sound like what you were describing your problem to be. As for the issue with the pressure tank bladder. The tank needs to be functioning correctly and the bladder needs to be intact. If there is a problem with it, it should show up when you run the hose near the tank. Typical behavior when the tank has lost its charge is that the pump cycles on and off very quickly with the water flow. That is to say that when the faucet is turns on, the pump almost immediately turns on (and may cycle off and on quickly) and when it turns off, the pump immediately turns off. I agree that the copper pipes aren't likely to be the cause of the problem. My guess is a restriction in a filter, valve or water softener. Run the hose near the tank and see what happens. That really is the place to start. It divides the system in two places and lets you know if you should look upstream or downstream from that. If you aren't familiar with how a healthy pump/tank/pressure switch should sound and behave, have a plumber do it. Typically pumps work or not. But I have seen clogged intake screens, worn impellers, stuck check valves and undersized pumps that have reduced output.

G and sktn, I'm quite fortunate to be a lifelong resident of the best state in the union and I was aware of the proposal (or even passage) of ban on gas appliances by the air resources board. While I think what they envision is a certainty in the future (for all of the US), I think it's unlikely that it can be imposed so quickly. Because the electric power industry and the existing grid infrastructure can't support the increased power usage this would cause. And the cost of retrofitting wiring and home panels to provide the power needed to electrify existing homes is not affordable for lower to medium income level folks. California imposed mandates several years ago for increased sourcing of renewable electricity and with only a few years to accomplish the rules. Utilities scrambled to meet the requirements. Private sector money was raised in a rush to build a number of large photovoltaic sites in the area, including in the very sunny deserts nearby. The result, as I alluded to briefly before - we have more afternoon summertime electricity than we need. A number of the new sites are offline and not feeding the grid. Why? Because also as I said, the issue of the baseline demand that has to be met with 24x7 supply sources has yet to be solved. There's a base load that's always produced and typically by combustion plants. In the old days, there were so-called "peaker plants", essentially jet engines that run uneconomically for constant use but that can fire up with short notice to fill gaps in supply for a day or two. Until the challenge of power storage and base load needs when it's dark or at inclement weather times is solved, there's a limit to how much any region can make use of daytime solar electricity. And, we have neither the wind, nor the running water for much more hydroelectric or wind power, nor are there adequate long lines in place to transmit such power from where it's does produce in the dark to populated areas in my state where it can be used. My prediction is that 2030 will come and go and while there may be statewide restrictions for commercial and new construction (as some municipalities have already imposed), I think gas furnaces and water heaters will be with us for some years to come beyond 2030.