Community Water System

White Water Tower

Customer:  A community in North East Iowa.

Project Design:Project Scope: A City in North East Iowa had a community water supply control system that was no longer dependable. Control system alarms were becoming more prevalent as the components and infrastructure used to support the system were becoming undependable. Industrial Automation proposed modernizing the water control system. This would make the addition of remote troubleshooting and monitoring possible which would provide for better system control and help defray future control system maintenance costs.

Industrial Automation designed and quoted a new control system. This system utilizes Allen Bradley Micrologix PLCs and MDS radios at each of five locations. At the main point of operation is a color touch screen that graphically indicates the state of the four pumps and the two reservoir levels. The touch screen allows the operator to view and adjust system variables such as pump sequence selection and reservoir level pump switching points. The touch screen also displays alarm conditions, such as low reservoir level, pump motor overload, and communications problems. Alarm messages and system status messages are transmitted to operator cell phones for instant notification.

Project Results:  Quality, Dependability, Low Cost

Previous leased line connections were eliminated and ethernet radios are now being utilized. This eliminates maintenance and monthly rental fees of the land lines. The control equipment has been updated and numerous old pieces of control equipment have been eliminated. The new system also provides a single graphical point of interface showing status and providing control of the multiple remote locations tied to the water system. With the new radio connections all sights can be accessed remotely for future service and updates helping to hold service costs to a minimum.