Isolation Valve Modifications - Hammond, IN
The Hammond Water Filtration Plant produces potable water for the residents of Hammond as well as a number of wholesale customer communities. Emergency conditions, such as the formation of frazil ice at their intakes, demand that Hammond limit flow to the wholesale customer communities. The arduous task of shutting nine remote valves proved too time consuming during an emergency.
NIES Engineering designed improvements which now allow remote operation of these valves from the Filtration Plant, saving valuable time and resources during an emergency. An existing SCADA system was modified to monitor and control these operations.
In designing these modifications, the City of Hammond and NIES Engineering kept the best interest of the customer communities in mind as well. When limiting flow to other communities, Hammond needed to ensure the process would not place those communities in dangerous situations either. To ensure this, NIES Engineering designed the SCADA modifications to monitor water storage levels of the wholesale customer communities.
Now, Hammond can make informed decisions and respond quickly to their emergencies and the needs of their customers. Shortly after its completion, the Isolation Valve Modifications were put to the test; Hammond experienced a formation of frazil ice in their Lake Michigan water intakes. Water Department personnel were able to react quickly. Closing the isolation valves, a task that previously required several hours, took only minutes. The valuable time saved allowed Water Department personnel to focus their efforts on bringing the filtration plant back on line without allowing their elevated tanks to drop to dangerously low levels.