CASE STUDIES
Nampa City Wastewater automates lift stations and saves money
with flexible implementation plan
with flexible implementation plan
PROBLEM
The City of Nampa (Idaho) Wastewater Department did not have a complete SCADA system that supported the collections department. Their 13 lift stations had aging\electromechanical controls with a dialer for alarming pump failures. The sewer system operators received the calls and needed to know which phone number was connected to each lift station, but did not know the reason for the failure so an operator had to go investigate each failure. Management wanted to upgrade the system and ultimately integrate it in with the treatment plant
SCADA system.
SCADA system.
SOLUTION
The Wastewater Department management team had received different proposals to design and implement a modern SCADA system. They selected ACS because our approach was about half the cost of the other proposals and enabled them to complete the project over a period of nearly 3 years.
In our design we selected Omron PLCs for each lift station with radio telemetry and integrated the lift stations into a Wonderware HMI solution that also controlled the wastewater treatment plant. By completing the project over a longer period of time, we have been able to provide additional customization and without negatively affecting the budget.
We have also become Nampa’s owner’s engineer on all SCADA system projects in the wastewater department. We design SCADA system solutions, provide project management services and collaborate with their civil and mechanical engineers; program their Wonderware HMI and continuously look for ways to optimize the system to meet their needs.
RESULTS
The lift station project took 2.5 years to complete and has been integrated in with the other elements of their wastewater SCADA system. The wastewater treatment manager Greg Pearce was delighted with the results. He said, “ACS provided a much more flexible alternative than we saw at other larger wastewater plants. They listen to our needs and go the extra mile. Their people are very knowledgeable and we trust their recommendations.”
