wsomag.com September/October 2012 9

W hen a grocery store loses power, the owner loses sales and customers are inconvenienced. When a major website like Google or Facebook crashes, users are annoyed. When a fac-tory is damaged in a tornado, production is halted and for a

while the workers may be without jobs.Generally speaking, in those instances, no one gets sick or dies. But when

a water treatment plant must shut down because of some disaster, or if a drinking water distribution system is compromised, the impacts can be dire.

Seeing the rashes of storms and floods that have hit in recent years, anyone responsible for a water system should be thinking about dusting off that emergency plan.

Sunny day savings

Speaking of calamities, droughts can fall into that category, too. Dry weather doesn’t tear up infrastructure the way a storm or flood can, but it does cause major difficulty, including inconvenience to customers in the form of water usage restrictions.

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) has a unique defense against drought. Its $250 million Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system lets SAWS store water from its annual allotment in deep wells in times of plenty and draw it back out when needed. The system includes a well field with 32 deep wells and a 30-mile concrete pipeline through which recov-ered water is delivered to pump stations for distribution to customers in dry periods.

Plant manager Roberto Macias and a crew of 10 operate, monitor and maintain the system. It’s a remedy that isn’t for everyone, and it’s cer-tainly no substitute for responsible water conservation and leak detection and abatement – both of which SAWS takes very seriously.

Using it wisely

Wise use of resources is the motivation behind an integrated, system-wide control system that helps the Niagara Region Public Works Department manage an annual flow of 17.2 billion gallons of drinking water. The system gives operators better, faster, more reliable access to critical information.

Performance When It CountsStorms, floods and other disasters seem to be getting more severe and frequent. That’s reason for water systems to make sureemergency plans are up to date.

ONTAP

BY TED J. RULSEH, EDITOR The department also manages the region’s wastewater. Both the water and sewage systems require fault-tolerant access to data from hundreds of field instruments and 16 treatment facilities in real time. The control sys-tem gives operators absolute control over the vast network — a job that grows bigger as the population and industry expand.

The department deployed the system using in-house resources, giving all involved a deep understanding of what it can do and how to operate and maintain it. It’s a recipe for a future of reliable, effective per-formance and quality service to the region’s nearly half-million people.

Look for stories on all these items in this issue of Water System Operator. And remember, we are always interested in your story — how your operating team keeps your system compliant, how you sustain high effi-ciency, how you train and elevate your team, how you provide superior service to customers.

Pass along your ideas to editor@wsomag.com. I promise to respond to each inquiry. I look forward to hearing from you. wso

Seeing the rashes of storms and floods that have hit in recent years, anyone responsible for a water

system should be thinking about dusting off that emergency plan.

IT’S

YOU

R MAGAZINE

Tell your story.

WSO welcomes news about your water system for future articles.

Send your ideas to editor@wsomag.com or call 877/953-3301

20 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR

Successful performanceWith an assist from the weather, the ASR facility has performed beyond

expectations. Available storage in the aquifer is estimated at 200,000 to 400,000 acre-feet. “At our peak, the most we have ever stored is 95,000 acre-feet before we had to start tapping into it,” says Macias.

“During six or seven of the years since the facility was built, it was wet here in San Antonio, so we were just storing water. But almost all of last year we were in a recovery mode because of the drought. We average about 24 inches of rain per year, but in 2011, we were about 14 inches below the average. The ASR really saved our bacon last year. Our studies show that we have enough water stored to survive the five-year drought of record.”

The ASR site and aggressive water conservation measures help SAWS prevent water shortages. “It’s cheaper to conserve water than to buy new sources,” notes Sarah Gatewood, communications specialist with SAWS.

“We have water rules that mainly focus on outdoor irrigation. Year-round, watering is not permitted between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. When the Edwards Aquifer drops below certain levels and the EAA limits how much of our permit we can use, we limit customers to watering during those same hours, once per week, on an assigned day.”

While SAWS does not restrict indoor water use or water for business purposes, it does offer free faucet aerators, showerheads and low-flow toilets. The utility also works with businesses to customize water-efficient retrofits.

Water efficiency measures apply even on the ASR site. A cistern collects runoff from structure roofs, and that water is used for site irri-gation, along with the treatment plant’s filter backwash water. Site landscaping uses native plants that need little water. Most of the prop-erty is rented to cattle ranchers and to farmers for growing peanuts, strawberries and other crops.

Looking ahead

For the years ahead, SAWS is exploring renewable energy at the ASR site. One attractive option, Macias says, is a hydroturbine in the incoming pipeline from San Antonio to capture energy from the water flowing downhill. Another possibility is photovoltaic energy, as the site provides abundant vacant land that could host solar panels. The facility already saves energy by using high-efficiency motors with soft starts and vari-able-speed drives.

“Another interesting thing coming to the ASR area is a brackish desalination plant,” notes Gatewood. The plant will draw water from

2,000 feet deep in the Wilcox Aquifer and treat it with reverse osmosis. “We are drilling the production wells right now, and we expect the plant to be online by 2016.”

When that plant is complete, San Antonio will have yet another source of high-quality water for a growing and thirsty community. wso

MORE INFO:

Generac Power Systems888/436-3722www.generac.com

Goulds Water Technology866/325-4210www.completewatersystems.com/brands/goulds

Hach Company 800/227-4224www.hach.com

Infor Public Sector800/260-2640 www.infor.com/solutions/ps/

Nidec Motor Corporation888/637-7333www.usmotors.com

Singer Valve Inc.604/594-5404www.singervalve.com

Transdyn, Inc.678/473-6400www.transdyn.com

The facility’s four high-service pumps, each one with a motor rated at 1,750 hp. (Motors from US Motors/Nidec Motor Corp., pumps from Goulds Water Technology).

Technician III Sharon Surra uses a pH analyzer (Hach).Roberto Macias monitors operation of the solids contact units on the facility’s SCADA system (Transdyn).

“We average about 24 inches of rain per year, but in 2011, we were about 14 inches below the average. The ASR really saved our bacon last year.”

ROBERTO MACIAS

W ith a program inspired by the passion and ingenuity of a team of high school students,

Illinois American Water has been honored for its efforts to involve the public in an initiative aimed at keeping medications and drugs out of the state’s water supply.

Illinois American Water, a sub-sidiary of American Water, was awarded the American Water Works Association’s 2011 Communications Achievement Award for its role in spreading the word about the Pre-scription Pill and Drug Disposal Program launched by environ-mental science students at Pontiac (Ill.) Township High School.

As the owner of systems serv-ing 1.2 million people in 126 com-munities, Illinois American Water has a vested stake in the state’s water quality, according to spokes-

woman Karen Cotton: “The less con-taminants in the water, the easier it is to treat.”

Students in the forefront

Faced with growing concern over traces of medications and drugs found in water supplies, experts at American Water’s national laboratory in Belleville, Ill., turned their attention several years ago to possible testing and reporting procedures for such contaminants.

Cotton, external affairs man-ager at Illinois American Water, knew of the company’s interest in the subject when Tim Tuley, lead operator at the company’s system in Pontiac, told her about a unique program started by a group of ecol-ogy students at Pontiac Township High School. Soon after speaking with Tuley in early 2008, she heard

a radio report on the program.Cotton’s interest was piqued,

and she called environmental sci-ence teacher Paul Ritter to learn more about the program, now known as P2D2. Cotton and Tuley went to the school for a presenta-

tion, where the teacher told them his students had investigated the issue after his wife came to him one evening with a handful of old prescriptions and asked about the proper way to get rid of them. Rit-ter didn’t have an immediate answer, but he decided the ques-tion would be a good one to pose to his students.

The students tackled the chal-lenge with vigor and found that a U.S. Geological Survey study of more than 100 waterways had revealed the presence of pharmaceuticals ranging from antibiotics, anti-depressants and birth control pills to painkill-ers, tranquilizers and cholesterol-lowering compounds.

Reaching out for help

They learned that there were no standards for testing or treat-ing for such contaminants and that the public had long been advised to dispose of old medi-cines by flushing them down a toi-let or pouring them down a drain. However, the discovery of medica-tions in surface and groundwater sources had led to a consensus that incineration was safer.

When Cotton asked whether her company could support the high school’s program, she found that the students had already con-tacted a local Illinois American Water official as a resource for their research. She also learned the students had contacted local pharmacies and the police, asking them to allow local residents to return unused medications for proper disposal.

At about the same time, stu-dents in an Illinois Studies class at the school began writing letters to inform public officials about the problem and ask them to address the issue. Since then, music stu-dents have written and performed songs for the program.

Ritter welcomed the support of Illinois American Water and began coordinating efforts with the company. He says the compa-ny’s involvement helped the P2D2 program spread rapidly across Illinois and then beyond the state’s borders. “They are a part-ner in this, and they have been responsible for helping the pro-

A Perfect PrescriptionStudents and a water company team up on a drug collection that helps

protect water supplies and is rapidly spreading across the nation

BY PETE LITTERSKI

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“We involve the mayors, the local legislators and the local students involved in P2D2.

We try to attract a lot of attention.”KAREN COTTON

Sarah LePard decorates a medication drop box for the P2D2 program launched by ecology science students at Pontiac Township High School in Illinois. LePard graduated in 2010.

28 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR

alarm or a customer call,” says Armstrong. “Although they could manu-ally shut off a well or booster pump with the SCADA, I would rather have them go into the field and check it out in person to make sure that the equipment is properly shut down.”

Preventive maintenance takes much of the team’s time and is a skill most of them have learned on the job. Outside training and seminars keep them abreast of the latest equipment and technologies. Weekly safety training has also paid off: “We haven’t had an injury in 10 years,” says Armstrong.

The utility has saved money by doing maintenance work in-house. “Rich McKenzie came to us with a lot of experience laying pipe and he’s really skilled at digging,” says Armstrong. “He knows all the safety prac-tices and makes sure the guys put on their hardhats and reflective vests.”

McKenzie also inspects backflow prevention devices to make sure there is no contamination to the lines. The utility requires all commer-cial, industrial and residential properties with livestock to install and maintain backflow prevention devices.

Meanwhile, field foreman Hoke “has the whole system in his head from 47 years with the company,” says Armstrong. “He doesn’t go down into the holes anymore. The guys won’t let him.” Fries inspects, operates and maintains the company’s equipment and reservoirs, including daily inspection of all online pumps and boosters.

Future growth

After 57 years in the same building, the water company completed a new 3,200-square-foot office building in April 2012. “The larger building will give us all the tools to operate for the future,” says Armstrong. Besides office space, the building will house an electronics room, a vault for sensitive documents, and a board room for shareholder meetings that until now have been held offsite.

Armstrong doesn’t foresee much population growth, except for maybe a few hundred new homes. The city is planning a new park, and Arm-strong hopes it will be drought-proof, with plants that can withstand dry conditions. The utility recently built a 1,000-foot-deep well to serve the current population. “We have some aging wells and are always looking for a way to boost our efficiency,” Armstrong says.

Other plans include a mile of new lines to transport water to the reservoirs, and perhaps a 2-mil-lion-gallon reservoir in a few years. “Another reservoir will give us twice the storage capacity in our largest pressure zone, allow-ing us to pump the wells longer during off-peak hours to reduce electrical cost,” says Armstrong.

For now, employees are excited about the 100-year anniversary. Says Armstrong, “We’re planning an open house to celebrate, and we’re inviting shareholders and the public.” wso

MORE INFO:Inland Water Works Supply Co.800/794-3121www.inlandwaterworks.com

Mueller Systems800/323-8584www.muellersystems.com

Nidec Motor Corporation 888/637-7333www.usmotors.com

Wheeler-Rex800/321-7950www.wheelerrex.com

“Exercising valves sounds kind of

mundane — I mean, how many valves do you want to exercise every day? But, if a valve won’t shut when you need it to, it creates problems.”DAVID ARMSTRONG

RIGHT: Rich McKenzie uses the Pit Stop RF Reader to make sure the newly installed Integral Hot Rod transmitter works properly (Mueller Systems).BELOW: McKenzie and Jeff Jones check water meter readings wirelessly from their truck using the EZ Reader route management software and Street Machine mobile data collector (also Mueller Systems).

Striving for Net ZeroEfficiency upgrades and process improvements allow a Massachusetts water treatment plant to generate 70 percent of its own electric power

BY LISA BALCERAK

In 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Envi-ronmental Protection (MassDEP) began an energy management pilot to help reach near net zero energy for seven water treatment plants.

One of the biggest successes was the Town of Lee drinking water treatment plant, which now produces nearly 70 percent of its own electricity, saving the community up to $34,000 a year and providing 114 kW of green power capacity. The updates account for a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 34 tons per year.

In July 2009, Lee was awarded $801,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (distrib-uted through the Massachusetts State Revolving Fund) to upgrade its water treatment plant, built in 1997. All updates were online as of Decem-ber 2011.

A tourist destination in picturesque Berkshire County, Mass., Lee has a population of 5,200 and 2,055 water customers. The town has a single

surface water plant that treats and distributes an average 600,000 gpd (2 mgd capacity). The plant draws from three reservoirs, which provide high-quality water. Two full-time operators staff the plant.

The Lee plant uses a KROFTA process that mixes raw water, aerated water, and flocculation and coagulation chemicals into a tank. Sludge is skimmed off the top, and clarified water flows through a filter bed. The finished water is disinfected and pumped to one of three storage tanks.

With goals to reduce energy use, lower greenhouse gas emissions and save money, the town performed a full audit on three key areas: electric energy, heating energy and renewable energy. Consulting engineering company CDM Smith came on board to evaluate the plant and help Lee progress toward its net zero energy goals.

Optimizing the process

The first consideration was to identify process optimizations. The plant already had a Canyon Hydro 80 kW hydroelectric microturbine sys-tem for renewable power generation, but it was being underutilized. The plant team wanted to get 15 percent more power from the turbine to

enable an additional 26,000 kWh of production annually. The key was to redirect the turbine’s nozzles and install automatic flow control.

“The way the water used to come into the turbines, it would slosh around and wasn’t directed toward the pad-dles, so some of the energy wasn’t getting picked up,” says Department of Public Works director Chris Pompi.

“We retooled the piping going into it and adjusted the paddles to opti-mize the water going through the turbine. Now, instead of waiting for two million gallons to generate the capacity power, it needs just 800,000 gal-lons per day.”

Workers performed upgrades to the turbines in small time incre-ments because the system couldn’t be offline for longer than eight consec-utive hours. “We had to keep the plant running while we did all the work, like performing open-heart surgery on a patient,” says Pompi. “We can’t say to 2,055 customers, ‘Sorry, we couldn’t get back online, so no water today.’ ”

More power control

To further enhance the electrical efficiency of the plant, the team ret-

SUSTAINABLEPRACTICE

“The next step is to secure more money for additional work to get us 100 percent off the grid. That is up to the DEP,

and we hope it will be in the near future.”CHRIS POMPI

Photovoltaic panels before installation (left) and installed on the roof (right) of the Town of Lee drinking water treatment plant (groSolar).

Old lights were removed from inside the water treatment plant (left) and replaced with high- efficiency fluorescent fixtures (right).

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(Continued on page 31)

It’s black and white.In every issue of Municipal Sewer & Water, you’ll read all about sanitary sewer, stormwater and water system professionals. You’ll discover:

n Who are the innovators in system repair and maintenance n How they make sound decisions that improve service and save money n What tools and technologies drive efficiency and performance n Where to go to find the latest equipment and advice

No gray area here.

Municipal Sewer & Water has it all. And it’s FREE.

Start your subscription today at mswmag.com or call 800-257-7222.

wsomag.com September/October 2012 33

In times of fiscal constraint, non-revenue water (NRW) is a major issue for water utilities. In view of reduced revenues from water

conservation and rising costs for power and chemicals, utilities are placing high priority on locating the causes of NRW and develop-ing strategic remedies.

Solving the problem — get-ting NRW down to the optimum level — has two main compo-nents: reducing outright water losses and making sure water dis-tributed is metered and billed accurately and completely. Many water utilities tackle NRW issues on their own. For those looking for help with the process and tech-nology, one alternative is Echolog-ics Non-Revenue Water Services, formally offered for about the past 15 months.

NRW solutions often consist of water audits that help munici-palities see where losses are occur-ring. NRW Services is a broader solution that includes detailed water audits, leak detection and non-inva-sive pipe condition assessment from Echologics, along with metering technology and other offerings from Mueller Systems, like Echologics a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products. The service includes devel-opment of a management strategy that helps ensure minimal NRW levels going forward.

Jim Fisher, manager of Non-Revenue Water Services for Echo-logics, and Matt Thomas, vice president of sales and marketing for Mueller Systems, talked about the offering in an interview with Water System Operator.

wso: How did this compre-hensive offering come about?

Fisher: Echologics started as a research and development firm look-ing at leak detection and focusing

TECHNOLOGYDEEP DIVE

Full AccountabilityNon-Revenue Water Services helps utilities improve leak detection, set pipe repair priorities, and ensure accuracy in metering and billing

BY TED J. RULSEH

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1) An acoustic correlation of a leak non-invasively pinpointed by the Echologics technology.

2) A 420 Remote Disconnect Meter (RDM) from Mueller Systems enables utilities to remotely connect and disconnect water services from service vehicles or through advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

3) A transmission main leak exposed after detection.

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on large-diameter and plastic pipes where other technologies had not been successful. In time we began discussing the whole issue of water dis-tribution systems, water loss, water meters and NRW, and it started to grow from there.

In 2011, Mueller Water Products acquired Echologics, adding to its history of more than 100 years working in water distribution systems with water metering, valves and hydrants. The combined companies have unique offerings that help solve the problem of NRW.

wso: NRW is a long-standing issue. Why can’t utilities and com-munities simply perform their own audits and develop their own strategies?

Fisher: Some cities can, and they do. However, the water utility work-forces are aging, and a lot of the knowledge base is leaving through retire-ments. Further, because of revenue shortages, open positions are going unfilled. It comes down to a question of time.

Another issue is technology. When you add more water meters, and with the advent of automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced meter-ing infrastructures (AMI), there’s literally gigabytes of data being gener-ated, and it takes certain expertise to analyze that data and make good decisions from the analysis.

wso: What is the first step in an NRW study for a community?

Fisher: The first thing to do is have discussions with different department heads across the city, because each one has valuable information that can help solve the problem of NRW. The next thing to do is go to the source — the treatment plant — and look at the meters. Have they been tested for accuracy? That is one of the most important things any city should do. We have the ability to test the accu-racy of those meters.

Thomas: The accuracy of the larger customer meters is also impor-tant. Two-inch, 3-inch or larger commercial meters generally make up only about 1 percent of the total meter population within a water utility, but they may represent 50 percent of the revenue. They need to be updated, tested and maintained quite frequently.

wso: Typically, how much of a utility’s NRW consists of leakage?Fisher: Generally, once you get down to the nitty gritty of it, leakage

can be up to 70 percent of the NRW figure.

wso: When it comes to leak detection, how do you decide where to deploy the technology?

Fisher: Many utilities have 30 or 40 years of leak history. They know the ages of the pipes and the types of pipes. They’re looking at critical mains where if something lets go, you may put a hospital or a school out of service, or disrupt traffic. They know the sore spots in their distribu-tion systems.

wso: What are the basic technologies used for leak detection?Fisher: The first step is general sounding of hydrants, valves and

select services with electronically amplified instruments to detect the presence of leak sounds. Second is an acoustic correlation system with advanced data analytics. There are really two types of technology. One is a remote system with transmitters, a receiver and sensors, and the other uses fixed correlating pods that you program and deploy across valves, services, hydrants and other components.

We use three types of sensors, depending on the type of pipe. Regular accelerometers are great for metallic pipes. There are low-frequency sen-sors for PVC pipe. And then there are hydrophones that actually come in contact with the water column — they’re installed on a fire hydrant or a

corporation stop. All these technologies are non-intrusive. The sensors have a very low noise floor, and they’re backed by powerful algorithms in the leak detection software.

wso: How would you describe the condition assessment technology?Fisher: The pipe wall condition assessment technology uses the same

tools as the leak detection system. You don’t have to shut the system down or insert anything into the live water system to determine how much thickness and how much strength is left in the pipe wall. You’re actually doing condition assessment while you’re doing leak detection. It’s a pro-prietary assessment process backed by significant expertise and comput-ing power.

wso: How does the metering side come into play in NRW service?Thomas: We start with the treatment plant and make sure we know

what’s going into the distribution system. From there, we account for the amount that went through the customers’ meters. The difference is the initial NRW. From there we deduct what’s called authorized unmetered use — water used for hydrant flushing and other purposes that are neces-sary to the maintenance of the system.

wso: How do AMR and AMI contribute to NRW analysis?Thomas: What we’re doing with these technologies is bringing the

metering data back on the network. We can read the meters hourly instead of monthly, and we can read them all at the same time, so we can now cor-relate that back to the water being pumped into the distribution system and truly get an accurate picture or analysis of what is NRW versus reve-nue water.

So every hour we can account for how much water went into not just the total distribution system but actually into different parts of the sys-tem. We can set up district metering areas (DMAs) where we put master meters in place, so now we can actually monitor subsets of the distribu-tion lines.

Now we can read all the water meters at the same time we read the DMA meters, and we can see the individual area where the NRW is located. This brings AMR/AMI to another level, where we can analyze this data and provide information so that the leak detection side of our offering can then go find the leaks more accurately.

Fisher: With AMR/AMI, we can take all the data that’s coming in, minute by minute, and create a benchmark — a minimum night rate. When everybody supposedly is asleep and nobody is using a lot of water, that minimum flow within a small geographic area is an indicator of whether there is leakage or not. Once you create that benchmark across a number of DMAs, you see the sore spots. It indicates where the utility can best manage its resources, time and money to fix and control water loss within their system.

wso: In summary, what is it that makes this NRW Service offer-ing different?

Fisher: It’s the total package of analytics, maintenance services, leak detection, condition assessment, and metering technologies that Mueller Water Products, Mueller Services and Echologics can bring to bear to solve NRW problems. wso

“With AMR/AMI, we can take all the data that’s coming in, minute by minute, and create a benchmark — a minimum

night rate. Once you create that benchmark across a number of DMAs, you see the sore spots.” JIM FISHER

34 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR

Purging systemThe Total Automatic Purging Sys-

tem (TAPS) from Singer Valve is designedto flush tough pipes and improve water quality without compromising fire pres-sure, while minimizing non-revenue water. It uses an automatic control valve and bat-tery-operated timer to control the time, length and pressure required to flush a distribution system effectively.

The flushing process is optimized by valve sizes from 1/2 inch to 12 inches, providing the correct velocity to pull or draw freshwater into a zone. A pressure-sustaining feature maintains minimum upstream pres-sure for system needs and in case fire flow is needed. The system scours and cleans pipes, reducing corrosion. Each unit includes a water sam-pling port so that onsite clarity can be easily seen and sampled without disrupting the process. A hydraulically operated valve introduces or releases water from the control chamber above the diaphragm to main-tain accurate water flow. 604/594-5404; www.singervalve.com.

Heated pipe wraps

Pipe Wraps from Powerblanket fea-ture GreenHeat Technology and provide a heating solution for freeze protection and rapid thawing of pipelines in water treatment plants. These lightweight wraps can be used to heat pipes, manifolds, pumps, hoses and other temperature-sen-sitive equipment. Available in sizes from 1 to 78 inches in diameter, the wraps have adjustable straps that ensure a secure fit. They consist of heat trace, heat-spreading carbon fiber material, an insulation barrier, and an outer vinyl shell.

Certified to all applicable UL and CSA safety standards, the wraps are powered by 120 V electricity and are safe to use on metal or plastic pipes and hoses. The wraps are also UV stabilized and wind and water resistant, allowing flow within piping to continue even in temperatures as low as -58 degrees F. 877/927-6432; www.powerblanket.com.

Pump station level controller

The PSL 5.0 pump station level control-ler from Greyline Instruments features redundant level sensing. It includes a non-contacting ultrasonic sensor. Users can also connect a loop-powered pressure sensor for redundant sensing in applications with foam or grease. The device recalibrates the pressure sensor automatically and switches back and forth from ultrasonic level to the pressure sensor as required.

Calibration and relay setpoints are easy to enter through the keypad and menu system. An automatic pump run time logging and reporting system helps operators plan pump maintenance and identify “lazy” pumps before they fail. It includes an isolated 4-20 mA output and six programmable control relays for pump control, pump alternation, and level alarms. Intrinsically safe sensors and a built-in data logger are optional. 888/473-9546; www.greyline.com.

Compact pump seriesThompson Pump offers the Compact

pump series with all the features of the JSC series except with a compact size, lighter weight, fewer parts, less maintenance, and lower price. The units are 35 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter but offer the same performance as a standard size pump with 24-hour run time fuel tank. Available in 4- and 6-inch sizes, the series offers an economical alternative to simi-lar-sized portable pumps. The pumps also include the Enviroprime sys-tem that keeps pumpage from discharging into the environment. 800/767-7310; www.thompsonpump.com.

Backup systemThe ReliaPrime complete back-up package

from Gorman-Rupp Co. delivers the benefits of sound-attenuated silent pumps and operates on natural gas. It features a 6-inch Super T Series pump capable of passing 3-inch spherical solids and offers a soundproof lightweight aluminum enclosure with padlockable door panels that can be removed for maintenance of the pump or engine. 419/755-1251; www.grpumps.com.

Press tool

RIDGID offers the RP 330-B press tool for creat-ing 4-inch copper and stainless steel connections in seconds. Users can work on wet systems and added costs like flux and solder are eliminated. The tool offers diagnostics to ensure a water-tight seal with every connection. Eighteen V Li-Ion batteries are included. 800/769-7743; www.ridgid.com.

Plunger valve

Series 300 Plunger Valves from Henry Pratt lessen cavitation. Other benefits include economic efficiency, operating safety, long life and improved valve control. The unit pro-vides a control range of up to 96 percent.

The flow control within the valve avoids creation of stagnant water, ensuring consis-tent cleanliness and sterility. 877/436-7977; www.henrypratt.com.

Web store The AquaOnDemand Web store from

Aqua-Aerobic Systems serves profession-als who construct, operate, or maintain municipal or industrial water and waste-water treatment facilities. Thousands of products, services and educational resources are available. The store houses a resources section with a library of instructions, case studies, data sheets, videos and more. AquaNotes serve as a quick reference on common subjects. 800/940-5008; www.aquaondemand.com.

PRODUCT FOCUS: DISTRIBUTIONBY MIKE SCHOBLASKA

Piping systemThe Chem Proline crack

resistant polyethylene piping system from Asahi/America is designed for transport and storage of sodium hypochlo-rite. Made from a specially formulated PE resin, the pipe and fittings resist chemical attack through crack propogation. The material is a lower-cost alternative to metal, fiber-glass reinforced plastic pipe and lined steel pipe. The pipe uses no glues, does not require threaded connections, is UV resistant, and can be installed above or below ground using socket, butt or electrofusion join-ing methods. 800/343-3618; www.asahi-america.com.

Electromagnetic flowmeterThe plastic-body, battery-powered,

corrosion-resistant FMG800 series from Omega is a full-bore electromagnetic flowmeter with a built-in rate and total indicator. With no moving parts, the unit permits unobstructed flow, minimizing flow disturbances and straight pipe requirements. The meter is designed for tracking flow rate and total flow in usage monitoring applications including wells, indus-trial wastewater, and water reclamation applications. 800/826-6342; www.omega.com.

Vertical pump motor

The 5813 Frame Vertical Titan II vertical pump motor from US Motors/Nidec Motor Cor-poration is manufactured using a cast iron frame that allows the production of the winding and frame assembly to be done in parallel, rather than in series, reducing production time and speeding delivery to the customer.

The motor is custom built to customer specifi-cations. It includes WPI and WPII (weather protected) enclosures, and has ratings from 250 hp to 1,750 hp depending on the required speed. The motor is available in hollow-shaft or solid-shaft configurations in both low and medium voltage. 888/637-7333; www.usmotors.com.

Software program

The PipeLogix software program helps municipalities collect and store survey details about underground pip-ing. Users can create surveys for sani-tary and storm sewer pipes as well as manholes. Assets are stored in their own tables so that multiple surveys can be linked to an asset, allowing users to view all surveys done on an asset in one database.

With the addition of the bidirectional GIS Module, supervisors can view surveys including videos, pictures and reports when an asset is selected from the map. A selectable map allows the operator to insert accurate information into the survey form, saving the CCTV operator entry time and reducing data input errors. 866/299-3150; www.pipelogix.com.

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wsomag.com September/October 2012 37

Alarm messaging system The MetroMail alarm messaging system from

Metropolitan Industries monitors electrical sys-tems in the water and wastewater industries. Alarm messages and status can be sent from the system via email or SMS text message directly to the user without a dedicated computer or SCADA software.

Eight optically isolated dry digital inputs accept 10 to 30 volts AC or DC. A status light tells users whether the unit has power, is properly con-figured and is sending emails, while network lights indicate LAN activ-ity and connectivity. An onboard Web server allows configuration of messages, addresses and other settings via any Web browser. 815/886-9200; www.metropolitanind.com.

Flow and energy meter

The Dynasonics TFX Ultra ultrasonic meter from Badger Meter is an easy and accurate option for moni-toring water intake and outflow, mak-ing compliance reporting easier. The meter is easy to install and offers accuracy at one percent of reading and a large bidirectional measuring range that ensures reliable readings at low and high flow rates. The unit clamps onto the outside of the pipe and does not contact the liquid being measured. It has no moving parts. The meter is available in a variety of configurations to fit application require-ments. Options include a stand-alone flowmeter and an energy flowmeter used with dual clamp-on RTDs. 262/639-6770; www.badgermeter.com/ 33a.aspx.

In-line leak detection

The SmartBall free-swimming acoustic in-line leak detection tool from Pure Technologies is designed to inspect operating water mains. The device is made up of a foam ball with an instru-ment-filled aluminum core that can detect and locate very small leaks. It can be inserted and retrieved under normal operating conditions using standard taps. Once inserted, the tool can travel several miles with the water flow, collect-ing leak location data for up to 12 hours. Addi-tional instrumentation in the device is used to calculate flow rates along the pipeline and identify valves, joints and other features. 855/280-7873; www.puretechltd.com.

Vertical pumpsThe Floway VS6 series pump from Weir Minerals is a verti-

cal single or multistage turbine with a fabricated head discharg-ing aboveground, an optional radius elbow, and above or belowground suction, mounted in a fabricated barrel or can. Typical service is a booster application for various water process applications.

The VS1 series pump is a vertical single or multistage tur-bine with a fabricated head discharging above or belowground with or without a radius elbow. Typical services include large wet pits, flood control, well pumps, water treatment plants, lake/river intakes, and various water process applications. 559/442-4000; www.weirminerals.com.

Split-case pump range

Uniglide-e split-case pumps from ClydeUnion Pumps, an SPX Brand, provide high reliability and reduced lifetime costs. Forty-eight pump frame sizes are available in horizontal and vertical configurations. Standard cartridge bearing and seal assemblies sim-plify maintenance. Clockwise and counter-clock-wise rotations are available. www.clydeunion.com.

Sound-attenuated pump

Rain for Rent’s SA-DV-325c 12-inch pump has sound attenuation that reduces noise to 71 dBA at 1,600 rpm. The 12-inch pump can be used for applications from dewatering to sewer bypass. It handles solids up to 4 3/4 inches in diameter, flows up to 8,500 gpm, and 220-foot dis-charge head. It also offers continuous self-priming and optional auto-start. 661/399-9124; www.rainforrent.com.

Underground locator

SubSurface Instruments, Inc. (SSI) offers the All Materials Locator (AML) for locating plastic, metal or wood. The tool functions in clay, wet soil, snow or standing water without a separate transmitter and receiver, wires, clips or clamps. Features include an ergonomic handle, easy-to-read target indicator LCDs, and adjustable sensitiv-ity switch. 855/422-6346; www.ssilocators.com. wso

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Peerless Electronics launches eCommerce storesPeerless Electronics, distributor of electromechanical and intercon-

nect products, launched six vertical market eCommerce stores. Accessed from www.peerlesselectronics.com, the stores offer switches, relays, cir-cuit breakers, contactors, connectors, terminal blocks, splices, heat shrink and indicator lights and fuses.

ITC becomes authorized IACET provider

The Infrared Training Center has received authorized provider status from the International Association for Continuing Education and Train-ing to provide IACET continuing education units. The recognition period extends for five years and includes all programs offered or created during that time.

Copperwing adds media planner, buyer

Copperwing Design hired Natalie Panciera as media planner and buyer. She is responsible for the develop-ment of multimedia plans, strategies and campaigns in support of client goals and objectives. Copperwing serves clients in the water and wastewater industry.

Aqua-Chem names CFO, applications engineer

Aqua-Chem named Thomas Gillcrist chief financial officer and Ron Shook pharmaceutical applications engineer.

Oldham’s OLCT IR receives IP67 certification

Oldham’s OLCT IR infrared fixed gas detector, tested according to IEC/EN 60529, was awarded IP67 protection degrees. Tests were con-ducted by INERIS, one of two IECEx certification bodies in France. The design protects the OLCT IR against dust and the effect of immersion in up to one meter of water.

MWH meets UCMR3 proficiency testing requirements

MWH Laboratories, division of MWH Global, has met all proficiency testing requirements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the third round of the Unregulated Containment Monitoring Regulation. Beginning in January, water utilities serving a retail population of more than 10,000 are required to conduct one year of monitoring for 28 con-taminants being considered for future regulation. Only laboratories approved by the EPA specifically for the UCMR3 monitoring program are allowed to report results.

Parkson names Hurley president, CEO

Parkson Corp. named Shamus M. Hurley president and chief execu-tive officer. He replaces Zain Mahmood, who stepped down after five years as CEO.

Grundfos opens business development center

Grundfos opened its business development “competency center,” approx-imately 40 miles west of Chicago. The center serves all of North America and is devoted exclusively to the municipal wastewater industry. It is housed in the 105,000-square-foot, pump-manufacturing facility of the former Yeomans Chicago Corp., which Grundfos acquired in 2008.

Thompson hosts 2012 Pumpology schoolThompson Pump & Manufacturing Co. held its 22nd annual

Pumpology school at its corporate facilities in Port Orange, Fla. A total of 50 attendees from 19 states and three foreign countries partic-ipated in the three-day workshop, including training sessions for sales and service professionals in pumping fundamentals, dewatering and bypass applications, selecting the correct equipment, designing, installing and maintaining pumping systems and troubleshooting.

Buckley joins UV Pure

Steve Buckley joined UV Pure and will be responsible for a sales ter-ritory and business development in the U.S. Engineered Solutions mar-ket. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, master’s degree in environmental engineering and achieved the highest level of wastewater certification in Massachusetts and California.

Hach TSS EX1 sensor receives Class 1, Division 2 certification

The Hach TSS EX1 sc sensor for suspended solids measurement received Class 1, Division 2 certification for use in hazardous areas.

Xylem names VP of sales, managing director

Xylem named Mike Delzingaro vice president and director of sales for dewatering solutions. He has 14 years experience and was regional manager for the northeast region. The company also named Grant Salstrom managing director, God-win. He will be responsible for the growth and development of the Godwin and Flygt brands within the U.S. dewatering market.

Kemira establishes R&D center in Alberta

Kemira opened a research and development projects laboratory in Alberta, Canada. Located on the campus of the University of Alberta, the laboratory will be an extension of Kemira’s North American R&D, head-quartered in Atlanta, Ga.

Calgon Carbon chairman, president, CEO retires

John S. Stanik, Calgon Carbon chairman, president and chief execu-tive officer, will retire after 21 years. The board of directors expects to fill the position by the third quarter of 2012. Stanik will remain with the company until a replacement is hired.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Mike Delzingaro Grant Salstrom

Natalie Panciera

(Continued on page 39)

wsomag.com September/October 2012 43

T he Water and Wastewater Services Division of the Niagara Region Public Works Department manages an annual flow of 17.2 billion gallons of drinking water to nearly half a million people. It also manages the processing of 20 billion gallons of wastewater for the

region, comprised of 12 local communities in a neck of land between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

Both water and wastewater treatment require fault-tolerant, real-time access to information from hundreds of remote field instruments and 16 treatment facilities to ensure absolute control over the vast network of plants, wells and pumping stations.

It’s a big job that grows bigger as the population and industry expand.In 2007, the division overhauled its control system infrastructure to

create one seamless, integrated network that would enable comprehensive visibility and easy access to information from any point. The solution needed to streamline software maintenance, integrate local plant data repositories with a central corporate historian, provide a common appli-cation look and feel to increase productivity, and enable robust remote, fault-tolerant data logging from field instruments.

A longtime user of GE SCADA and human machine interface (HMI) technology, Niagara upgraded to Proficy iFIX software from GE Intelli-gent Platforms. Features include a Microsoft Windows operating envi-ronment, flexible object technology, terminal services to support thin clients, conversion tools, and improved security.

Efficient managementNiagara’s new network infrastructure is built around Proficy iFIX

HMI/SCADA control system technology, with links to local plant and corporate Proficy Historian data repositories. QuickPanel RTU compo-nents serve as remote operator interfaces and data collectors in the field.

“Remaining with GE made sense for a lot of reasons and also made for a much easier conversion, given iFIX’s powerful conversion tools,” states Mark Presti, manager of technical trades in the division’s maintenance section.

iFIX, a GE Proficy software product, is a single intelligent production solution that works with existing multivendor hardware and software to gather and analyze data. Solutions can connect to equipment across the entire physical utility to deliver online monitoring for rapid operational response and collect historical data as the foundation for continuous improvement.

It enables drill-down to view detailed tag information, access and analyze trend variables, and access enterprise data via thin-client, termi-

BRIGHTIDEAS

PRODUCT: | Proficy iFIX softwarePROVIDER: | GE Intelligent PlatformsUSER: | Niagara Region Public Works DepartmentAPPLICATION: | Water system data management and controlBENEFITS: | Stronger controls infrastructure to support operations and growth

One System, One Look and FeelAn in-house upgrade to an integrated, systemwide control system helps the Niagara Region get better, faster, more reliable access to critical information

BY ALAN HINCHMAN

The Niagara Region’s signature feature is Niagara Falls. The regional public works department now exerts better control over its water and wastewater systems with iFIX software.

The iFIX software enables easy remote control over devices and functions in the water and wastewater network.

nal services connectivity to all SCADA nodes. Proficy Historian quickly provides access to stores of normalized process data, including alarms and events, for mission-critical monitoring and control. The software is designed to capture large volumes of process data, store it for long periods, and provide quick retrieval by other applications for trending and analysis.

Overcoming barriers

“We reached a point where there were significant challenges with the existing infrastructure that had been in place for several years,” says Presti. Plants had differing SCADA system configurations with a widely variant look and feel. Each plant hosted its own separate SCADA config-uration. The six water treatment plants were paired and linked over the organization’s fiber-optic wide area network (WAN), but any change in one system had to be separately engineered elsewhere.

If a manager wanted a link into a plant’s SCADA system, that config-uration had to be loaded on his or her desktop. That effort multiplied across numerous plants made for excessive and time-consuming mainte-nance, Presti observes.

Also, field instruments at hundreds of remote points in the water and wastewater systems provided readouts on chlorine levels, turbidity, water levels and other factors that were routed through PLCs via leased land-lines to various plant SCADA systems, and then to plant historians. But there was no storage capability at remote sites, so when there was an inter-ruption in communications, real-time data logging ceased, creating gaps in information stored in the plant historian.

In-house effort

The division handled the upgrade to integrated, distributed iFIX infrastructure using in-house staff. Taking on the project enabled the technical tradespeople to become intimately grounded in the network architecture, boosting their skills and knowledge to manage mainte-nance, support, and ongoing extensions and upgrades.

“We had two SCADA and instrument technicians when I started here,” says Presti. “We brought in three more.” When in need of addi-tional technical expertise, the team called on Gray Matter Systems, a sys-tems integrator in nearby Mississauga, and a local consulting firm.

The network infrastructure involves individual rack-mounted iFIX solutions and Proficy Historian data repositories at each treatment plant. The main services division headquarters also gained a central Historian that provides a single data repository fed by each plant historian for com-prehensive, long-term data storage. This, with its own separate iFIX server installation, provides centralized operations management visibil-ity to performance across the entire facilities network.

“We didn’t have one central data repository before,” Presti says. “This now gives us one location to go to when we want to share data.” The cen-tral Historian is the foundation for general and ad hoc reporting for widely distributed plant operations. It is also integrated with the Infor Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution for improved asset main-tenance and repair across the facilities organization.

Wireless future?

Each plant operates a pair of iFIX SCADA servers (primary and sec-

ondary) to provide fault tolerance and to support periodic software maintenance, ensuring that one server remains live while the other is down. Two terminal servers provide links to Proficy iFIX cli-ents — remote thin clients that give operations personnel Web-based access via Citrix enabling technology.

The terminal servers ensure consistent application functionality and a common look and feel, and greatly streamline system maintenance. Changes can be made to the application on the terminal servers and then pushed out to all remote locations.

A perennial network problem was resolved with the addition of QuickPanel RTU collectors at remote stations. The QuickPanel RTU provides a field-based operator interface along with critical data storage. The compact, slim unit communicates with Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation) programmable logic controllers (PLCs) via OPC and Modbus industrial network protocols and forwards data over leased Bell Canada landlines.

The QuickPanel’s wireless-enabled technol-ogy will allow the division to migrate eventually to wireless transmission. In either case, commu-nication interruptions will no longer result in data gaps in plant and central Historians, as the QuickPanel RTU provides store-and-forward functions that ensure continuous data logging

fidelity for historical purposes.The technical trades team spent three years in a plant-by-plant migra-

tion to implement the network infrastructure built around the iFIX HMI/SCADA platform. “Conversion was the hardest piece,” Presti says. “The advantage of doing it ourselves is we now have a thorough under-standing of what we own and how to support and maintain it. We never had that before.”

Empowering users

The team is now working with operations, the ultimate end users, to develop standardized applications and graphics for use across all plants. “The initiative was to ensure the systems in each plant were identical in design,” Presti says.

The common technology infrastructure will enhance the division’s ability to manage maintenance from one central location, gaining econo-mies of scale and efficiencies over decentralized, plant-centric maintenance.

“One of the objectives was to create a common knowledge base across both maintenance and operations,” says Presti. “We’ve given manage-ment the tools — now we’re working with senior management in both water and wastewater to standardize how they want to see the informa-tion. The goal is to give them the means to get the information themselves with Web-based access.”

The investment in time to put the infrastructure in place has been well worth the effort. “We’ve built a very solid infrastructure,” states Presti. “And we have full understanding and ownership of how it works. We’re confident it’s ready to support our growth in operations.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORAlan Hinchman is global market director, infrastructure, with GE Intelli-

gent Platforms. wso

WSO welcomes stories about your plant and system innovations for future “Bright Ideas” articles. Send your suggestions to editor@wsomag.com or call 877/953-3301.

“Conversion was the hardest piece. The advantage of doing it ourselves is we now have a thorough understanding of what we

own and how to support and maintain it. We never had that before.”MARK PRESTI

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