NAPA, CA, Jan. 22, 2008 -- At its board meeting this week, the board of the Paradise Irrigation District (PID) voted to accept FluidIQS Design-Build proposal for a major upgrade to its SCADA system. As reported in the Paradise Post, the new SCADA system will help the district save money, operate more efficiently and allow for expansion of the district.
According to PID members, the old system was antiquated and it was difficult to find qualified professionals to program it. It will take a few months to install the new system, including upgrades to radio antennas, computers and computer controls. The new SCADA system will would also save money and energy and make the plant last longer.
"Reliable two-way communication will be able to extend the life of the treatment plant," PID Manager George Barber said. "It will lengthen the time before we'll have to upgrade the treatment plant."
Speaking about additional advantages offered in the new FluidIQs design Barber added "What it does now is the high peak demand is transferred right to the treatment plant," he said, "Instead you buffer it using some of your storage during that peak time and build it back when the load is low."
Because the treatment plant wouldn't be taking the brunt of the high demand on a summer day, the district would use less peak hour electricity to fill the tanks, and could pump them full at night, when energy costs are lower, Barber said. Also the district could save money if it didn't have to spend money driving people to sites to turn on and off manual valves.
FluidIQs designed the new SCADA system specifically to meet the needs of PID. "With 28 years of experience, we can design and deliver cost-effective SCADA systems like this directly to the municipality, saving design time and design money for water customers," said Tom Johnson, VP of FluidIQs.
FluidIQs provides design and integration of instruments and control systems for water and wastewater agencies. Headquartered in Napa, California, the company has operations in Newport Beach, California, Salt Lake City, Utah, Las Vegas, NV, and Buffalo, NY.
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