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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Amid the growing pressure to do more with less, utilities are predicted to invest 14 billion USD in smart water technologies through 2024 as water managers continue to recognize how these intelligent solutions can reduce energy consumption, mitigate unnecessary water losses, and improve operational efficiencies.When intelligent equipment is connected to smart networks, water managers can respond to events and performance issues in real-time. Data from smart networks also can be combined with advanced algorithms for proactive system management. Reaping these benefits has been the experience of one drinking water and wastewater utility in southern Georgia.
Author(s)
Kevin Flis
Subjectconnected controls;operations & maintenance;SCADA
Document typeMagazine Article
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Print publication date May 2021
Volume / Issue33 / 5
Content sourceWE&T magazine
First / last page(s)44 - 47
Copyright2021
Word count1,598
Subject keywordsdrinking waterwastewatersmart waterValdostaGeorgia

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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Growing Pains
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
What began as a small community water system with just 200 connections in the 1970s, the Lowndes County Utility Department in Valdosta, Georgia, has grown into a burgeoning operation. Today, the utility maintains 293 km (182 mi) of drinking water lines and 286 mi (178 mi) of sewer lines within its service boundaries.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2021
Word count300
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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Modernizing Monitoring, Controls
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Faced with mounting labor costs and pump repair and replacement costs as a result of an ineffective maintenance program, leadership with Lowndes County Utility Department recognized the need to modernize operations, update wastewater collections monitoring and control systems, and collect better data through the Internet of Things (IoT).
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2021
Word count317
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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Resolving Nuisance Call-Outs
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
The second stage of the Lowndes County Utility Department upgrade involved implementing a cellular-based SCADA service. The service was chosen to enable effective real-time reporting of the data collected from the pump station controllers. Specifically, the utility chose the Flygt Cloud SCADA service because of the compatibility of the hardware to the MultiSmart IPSMs to ensure seamless...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2021
Word count216
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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Real-Time I/R Readings
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Another feature of the upgraded monitoring system that appealed to the utility is the ability to perform an insulation resistance test during installation to set the baseline for optimal performance. The pump controllers then monitor the insulation resistance (I/R) condition of the pump motors.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2021
Word count345
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Description: Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Reducing Costs
Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility
Today, accessing data from legacy systems no longer presents a challenge for Lowndes County. Since integrating smart monitoring and control technologies across its network, the utility has seen a dramatic drop in call-outs. Potential problems are identified before they occur two ways. First, through an alarm system that prompts operators to carry out necessary maintenance, avoiding the nuisance...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2021
Word count164
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Working Smarter, Not Harder in Georgia Facility