The Ocean County Utilities Authority owns and operates three water pollution control facilities ranging in size from 20 mgd to 32 mgd. These treatment plants serve a population in excess of 500,000. The facilities were constructed in the 1970s and had centralized process control computers to control and monitor the treatment processes. With a need to remain competitive the Ocean County Utilities Authority realized that process control systems represent a key technological investment; and replaced the existing systems with new “best-available-technology.” This project included replacement of the existing “islands of automation” with Ocean County Utilities Authority standard programmable logic controllers and HMI software all working together; adding other features such as redevelopment of the Control Rooms; work stations/view nodes at remote locations throughout each facility; and adding a fiber-optic highway at all three facilities.

“We feel that the project is a success and everyone involved is happy how the SCADA Master Plan was implemented. MWH, as the Engineer, performed very well and we were lucky to get SCALFO as a contractor. The whole team worked cooperatively and in the best interest of a successful completion of the project.”
- Ocean County Utilities Authority, Ocean County, NJ, November 2011 

A goal of the Ocean County Utilities Authority was to install a system which allowed full process monitoring and control, and also integrate with the collection system SCADA system, enterprise resource planning software SAP R/3, laboratory information management system and geographic information system. Integration efforts will allow sharing of information between other information technology systems.

Development of the master plan included site inspections, staff interviews, needs assessment, peer utility review, alternatives evaluation and system recommendations.

Installation was developed under two contracts with the first being the installation of the data highways at each facility. The second was the furnishing and installing of the programmable logic controllers and instruments. The integration, programming and HMI screen creation was performed as a professional service by MWH. In 2010, the responsibility to integrate the collection system facilities such as pumping stations and metering chambers was added to the MWH scope of work by the Ocean County Utilities Authority.

Project Highlights

• Developed SCADA System master plan, which included site inspections, staff interviews, needs assessment, peer utility review, alternatives evaluation and system recommendations
• Replaced the aging existing systems with new “best-available-technology”
• Implemented system which allowed full process monitoring and control and integrated with various other information technology systems