Utility Committee Agenda and Packet 2020 05 12

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sampling of the capital improvement projects included cleaning up old elec- trical panels, replacing messy, old PLC cabinets, and remodeling valve vaults and adding lighting and ventilation. The project involved the operations staff and was collaborative from beginning to end. “We completed over 100 individual items called out for resolution in scoping the project,” Venette says. Operators helped identify problems and told the design-build team what was wrong. They put stickers on everything that needed work and kept and prioritized a list so that, as the project became better defined, they had both input and buy-in. Some items were large and required the support and direction of Kurt Kowar, Public Works director, and approval from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. One example was replacing a drain for the 600,000-gallon clearwell. It went on the design-build list, and when com- pleted, it reduced the time to drain the tank from three to four weeks to three to four days. ACROSS TOWN The Howard Berry Water Treatment Plant (South), built in 1993, under- went major upgrades as well. The project replaced the filter media, underd- rain nozzles and air scour system. Tube settlers were replaced with stainless steel plates; disinfection switched from chlorine gas to sodium hypochlorite using on-site MIOX generators. The team also remodeled the HVAC system and installed drying beds for the sludge removed from the sedimentation basin. Together, these improve- ments made the plant more predictable and easier to keep running smoothly and consistently. “We increased filter runtimes by 12% and now use 2.5% less water for backwashes,” Venette observes. Under the guidance of Terrell Phillips, superintendent, the staff upgraded the SCADA system from two old Windows XP computers with manual disk backup (and daily prayers) to new SCADA servers, client computers, onsite automated backup, offsite backups and full redundancy for both plants. Human-machine interfaces had to be completely overhauled to accom- modate all the upgrades and changes. The city installed more than $150,000 in new instrumentation, such as turbidimeters, streaming current monitors and chlorine analyzers to replace outdated and obsolete equipment at both plants and laboratories. “We replaced all of our diaphragm chemical feed systems with new Qdos peristaltic pumps (Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group) and integrated them into our SCADA system for flow control and feedback,” Venette says. That change reduced system maintenance and made parts replacement much safer. The Hach Water Information Management Solution, or WIMS, became the primary database for plant information. Operator Steven Daniels was instrumental in its implementation. “In two years, we went from all pen and paper for recordkeeping to fully digital: computer data entry, automated SCADA data collection and compliance reporting tools,” Venette says. “We are now rolling out our new asset management system, Lucity, to replace our old, manual preventive maintenance procedures with a stream- lined, digital process.” Operators Jeff Owens and David Cole have shep- herded that project along. CELEBRATING SUCCESS The treatment staff celebrated the upgrades with a Water Day event they hosted for city employees and the public in 2018. It included plant tours and presentations on water use and conservation. Operators volunteered to tell visitors about the facilities. They prepared their own talking points and checked their information in the operations manuals. The face of the entire operation has changed in a few short years, Ven- ette says: “It took us from a conventional operation to a front-running, opti- mized, progressive team dedicated to sustaining health by removing water’s impurities through positivity, dependability and data-driven decisions.” Cummins Power Products 248-573-1600 www.cummins.com (See ad page 00) Eaton 877-386-2273 www.eaton.com (See ad page 00) Hach 800-227-4224 www.hach.com (See ad page 00) Lucity, Inc. 800-492-2468 www.lucity.com (See ad page 00) Medora Corporation - SolarBee / GridBee 866-437-8076 www.medoraco.com (See ad page 00) featured products from: MIOX Corporation 800-646-9426 www.miox.com (See ad page 00) Pentair 888-416-9513 www.femyers.com (See ad page 00) Thermo Fisher Scientific 978-670-7460 www.thermofisher.com (See ad page 00) Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group 800-282-8823 www.wmftg.com (See ad page 00) YSI, a Xylem brand 800-765-4974 www.ysi.com (See ad page 00) Greg Venette, chief water plant operator ‘‘In two years, we went from all pen and paper for recordkeeping to fully digital: computer data entry, automated SCADA data collection and compliance reporting tools.” GREG VENETTE Prerelease Version – NOT FOR REPRODUCTION 35