Authority_October_2020

22 October 2020 - The Authority Hydraulic Model from North Penn Water Authority Like many members of PMAA, North Penn Water Authority’s (NPWA) mission is to provide our customers with 24/7 access to an affordable, high quality product, in our case, drinking water. In order to fulfill this mission, it is imperative we maintain all assets and infrastructure that delivers water to our customers as well as ensure those assets can handle ample water flow and pressure at all times, includ- ing during fire emergencies. The most important tools that NPWA implements to keep track of our sys- tem that includes more than 580 miles of main, more than 3,690 hydrants, 15 wells, 10 water towers and eight booster stations are the Water Master Plan (The Plan) and the Hydraulic and Water Quality Model (The Model). The Plan was implemented in the 1990’s and is the blueprint for water system improvements and NPWA’s Capital Budget, and is updated every five years. The plan establishes service benchmarks for the Authority, which includes meeting requirements for: 1) customer growth; 2) ample fire flow; 3) chlorine residual; 4) water age; and 5) water pressure. This plan is guided by frequent use of The Model as an essential tool in this process. The Master Plan has resulted in the replacement of, on average, approx- imately two miles of old water main every year, the renewal of 4,600 services, construction of two new large water storage tanks and numerous booster station improvements. The Authority is in an excellent position to continue to provide superior water service for the foreseeable future as a Mike Shea, NPWA Project Engineer, works with the Hydraulic Model and NPWA’s SCADA system. NPWA water main replacement project. result of the timely investment and im- provements in our continually growing water system. The Model is a tool used to plan in- frastructure improvements, develop operational maintenance strategies and proactively manage our water system. The Model simulates changing condi- tions of the distribution system as well as information about pipes, pumps, valves, flow, pressure, water quality and more, using a sophisticated soft- ware platform, and providing graphi- cal results on a color-coded network of maps and data tables. A key feature The Model offers is creating dynamic simulations that can test many different scenarios for each potential construction project to help the Authority determine the most