AWWA CSC92084

The London Water Main Ring can be imagined as an 80-kilometer bicycle tire, 2.5 meters in diameter, buried under London. When completed, it will serve 50% of London's water needs. Thames Water decided to implement three area control centers and the overall operations were to be preplanned and coordinated at a single location, the London Water Control Center. Thames Water developed a control strategy pyramid that provides a resilient and reliable SCADA system via four hierarchical control levels. The levels of the pyramid are plant control, manual; plant control, automatic; area control centers, and London Water Control Center. This paper describes the functions of each level as well as the function and design of operational management systems, communications and security, and a retro-projection graphic control room that allows monitoring from river to tap.