AWWA CSC94007

In 1987, recognizing the need for some level of centralized monitoring and control of their water system, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) began a program of capital improvements to upgrade existing instrumentation, construct new measurement points, develop a communications system, and eventually tie everything together with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. With the capability to collect and analyze data after the fact, MWRA is now in a position to begin examining unusual events which have occurred in the system. Two case studies are presented in this paper which illustrate the value of the information which can be extracted from the field instruments. In each case "how could we have responded if we knew what was happening as it occurred?" is asked. With the planned SCADA system enabling MWRA to monitor real-time and control the water system, MWRA will be in a position to us the knowledge gained from the Data Acquisition System (DAS) effectively. MWRA would prefer to apply the costlier SCADA technology only to those portions of the system where it will provide sufficient benefit. DAS-collected data can help determine cause-and-effect relationships, critical points in the system, and therefore where SCADA technology should be applied.