Strategic Planning and Execution of a Unified SCADA System for Water Utility Management

Water utilities are at the forefront of providing clean, reliable drinking water to communities. To bolster the region's water supply, Portland Water Bureau (PWB) is making a significant investment in the construction of a state-of-the-art Filtration Facility. This endeavor harmonizes with PWB's broader Strategic Plan and Smart Utility Plan, serving as a technological roadmap for optimizing PWB operations. A pivotal component of the Smart Utility Plan is the implementation of an Enterprise SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, unifying control and oversight across PWB's water distribution and filtration facilities. This abstract delves into the strategic planning and meticulous execution of this crucial SCADA system integration. Key Planning and Execution Phases: 1. Strategic Planning: The foundation of PWB's SCADA journey lies in understanding the existing SCADA system conditions and evolving standards. This phase also entails identifying user requirements for the SCADA system, envisioning a conceptual SCADA system that harmonizes these requirements, and conducting a rigorous technology evaluation and selection process. Lessons learned from interviews with peer utilities shape the technology choices. 2. Public Procurement: A vital milestone is the initiation of a public procurement process. PWB explores avenues for securing long-term SCADA software and system integration services, positioning a sole source supplier for future construction endeavors. This strategic move streamlines procurement and reinforces the stability of the SCADA infrastructure. 3. Roadmap Updates: The pinnacle of PWB's planning phase culminates in the creation of a comprehensive roadmap report. This document encapsulates design and implementation strategies, meticulous risk assessment, consideration of installation alternatives, planning-level cost estimates, and the formulation of a project schedule for seamless SCADA system implementation. The roadmap report is continuously updated as PWB progresses its Smart Utility Plan. Introduction: PWB's SCADA systems have been the backbone of real-time data monitoring, remote control, and data archival, spanning both water distribution and treatment facilities. With the impending addition of the Filtration Facility in 2027, the opportunity to unify PWB's SCADA systems presents itself. A critical aspect of this transformation is the evaluation of the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) platform and associated technologies to meet the evolving needs of the Smart Utility program. Objectives: The primary objective of our SCADA System Roadmap is to navigate the modernization of PWB's automation systems, ensuring alignment with the Smart Utility program's requirements. Furthermore, this roadmap aims to provide a unified platform for managing both distribution and filtration seamlessly. It identifies gaps between PWB's current-state and desired future-state automation systems, offering invaluable planning-level cost estimates and a well-structured implementation schedule. The roadmap serves as a repository for essential planning elements, including technical memorandums, drawings, conditions surveys, concept designs, and technology selections. This cohesive package establishes the foundation for standards development and project design. In summary, PWB's pursuit of a unified SCADA system represents a seminal step in safeguarding a sustainable supply of clean drinking water for the community. The strategic planning and execution detailed in this abstract underscore the significance of meticulous preparation in the integration of complex technologies and systems.