DESIGN/BUILD APPROACH RESULTS IN SUCCESSFUL SCADA IMPLEMENTATION

PROBLEM Harford County, Maryland operates two main wastewater treatment plants: Sod Run WWTP, a 20 mgd facility, and Joppatowne WWTP, a 0.95 mgd BNR facility. Both plants employ biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes. The Sod Run wastewater treatment plant is staffed 24/7 and is highly automated The smaller Joppatowne plant had some automated processes but no plant wide monitoring, alarming or control system. The County wanted to automate the Joppatowne facility to improve process performance and reduce the labor required to operate the plant. The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) project goal was to remotely monitor and control the Joppatowne facility plant from the Sod Run WWTP sending operators and maintenance staff to the smaller facility on a scheduled routine for sampling and preventative maintenance only.