My previous column described how the city’s sewer and water
utilities service (a power-hungry operation) continued functioning
without a glitch throughout the 14 hours of a PG
&
amp;E power outage to 7,000 homes A few years ago, similar power
outages would have knocked out water and sewer service for hours to
hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses.
My previous column described how the city’s sewer and water utilities service (a power-hungry operation) continued functioning without a glitch throughout the 14 hours of a PG&E power outage to 7,000 homes
A few years ago, similar power outages would have knocked out water and sewer service for hours to hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses. After-hours crews and contract electricians would have scrambled through the night to hook-up generators, restart booster pumps and reset system control boards.
While this extremely efficient response would have quickly restored service to homes and businesses the severity of such service disruptions to our customers was not acceptable. We knew that the core problem wasn’t the ability of our crews to respond – it was our system’s inability to seamlessly ride through incidents like these.
We also knew that projected population and business growth would require adding capacity to the overall utilities system – more reservoirs, wells, sewer lines, water mains, etc. Besides the increase in demand, this growth would also increase the workload activity for the Utilities Division. Unless we changed our mode of operation, we would also need more staff just to keep up with the current levels of required service.
We determined that we would meet the additional workload by increasing the capacity of our employees to handle a larger, more complex system. We also determined that increasing the capacity of crews meant utilizing advanced technology, increased automation, and upgraded machinery, tools and equipment.
The key component of this new mode of operation would be the purchase and installation of a modern, integrated hardware and software system. This system would handle 24/7 monitoring and computerized control of a complex network of 39 mechanical facilities located throughout the city’s hillsides, lowlands, neighborhoods and backroads.
Yes, this new technology would be costly – comparable to our combined annual expenditures for trucks, generators and large equipment – but it would be even more costly to continue on with business-as-usual.
The new software/hardware system, known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, was acquired and phased in over several years, which allowed a hands-on transition period of getting the system functioning fully and effectively.
Resources were stretched by the purchase, installation and activation of the new system’s many hardware and software components. Every single crew member had to develop (and maintain) proficiency in handling each component of the new technology while still continuing the daily, labor-intensive work that our many facilities required. And the funding for each phase had to be carefully weighed so that it would not further diminish the already-tight resources needed for ongoing operations. Additionally, we created job descriptions for filling key staff vacancies with specialists skilled in computers, electronics, and mechanical functions.
It was a learning process for us all.
Today, with the system now fully installed and completely functional, we have, indeed, expanded the capacity of our crews and are using technology to work smarter.
We now use desktop computers to adjust water pressure levels within Morgan Hill’s eight water zones. From the office, we are able to shut down a sewer lift station at the first sign of an issue while field crews are en route to troubleshoot mechanical or electrical problems. We have dramatically cut energy costs by programming and synchronizing all 17 water wells to pump only at the most optimal energy-saving hours. The use-trend reports, charts, and graphs that the SCADA produces analyze every minute of every crucial function for all of the water and sewer mechanical facilities. Using sophisticated software, our crews can monitor the entire system – even from their cell phones. By identifying any potential problems and responding immediately, we avoid costly service interruptions.
These are just a few examples of the scores of monitoring and control functions that the SCADA technology makes possible.
One of our supervisors refers to this work methodology as, “from mud to computers.” Those in semiconductor manufacturing can appreciate the parallels of how a labor force interacts with technology. The same crew members trenching on a rainy, winter night to reach a mud-filled waterline break, must also understand, read and clear a complex array of alarms and sophisticated equipment panels before heading home in the early morning hours. Understanding and using technology is now part of the daily upkeep and repair of the utilities system that Morgan Hill residents and businesses depend on.
This modernized utilities system enables Morgan Hill to handle the growth and demands of its future. It’s part of the reason why your water and sewer utilities system can indefinitely ride out a power outage and continue functioning even during natural disasters.
“Utilities on Demand” is a series of columns by Utilities Manager Mario Iglesias that describe the “what-and-how” of the city’s water and sewer system. Submitted questions are encouraged and will be addressed in future columns. Contact Iglesias at 776-7333, or ma************@***********ca.gov.
