An apparatus for elevating a fluid includes: a pumping member rotatable about a vertical axis, the pumping member having at least one ramped path, the ramped path having a lowermost portion insertable below the surface of a fluid to be elevated, and an uppermost portion that is more distant from the vertical axis than the lowermost portion thereof; a catch chamber surrounding a circular trajectory of the uppermost portion as it rotates about the vertical axis and positioned to receive fluid expelled from the uppermost portion; and a motor coupled to the pumping member for imparting rotational motion to the pumping member about the vertical axis, the motor having sufficient power to generate a centrifugal force that will drive the fluid from the lowermost portion of the ramped path to the uppermost portion and into the catch chamber.