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REAL TIME CONTROL OF URBAN DRAINAGE NETWORKS
Citation:
VITASOVIC, Z. C. REAL TIME CONTROL OF URBAN DRAINAGE NETWORKS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-06/120, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
to inform the public
Description:
Real-time control (RTC) is a custom-designed, computer-assisted management technology for a specific sewerage network to meet the operational objectives of its collection/conveyance system. RTC can operate in several modes, including a mode that is activated during a wet weather flow event to control local flooding and sewage releases. RTC of conveyance systems has been emerging as an attractive and cost-effective approach that can be undertaken in addition to (or in lieu of) more traditional construction-focused alternatives such as sewer separation or construction of storage facilities. Although there are still relatively few documented applications of RTC to large urban sewerage systems, the technology has been successfully implemented.
RTC implementation includes several different aspects, including hydraulics, instrumentation, remote monitoring, process control, software development, mathematical modeling, organizational issues, and forecasting of rainfall or flows. Addressing each of these issues in detail would require a large document, beyond the scope of this report. Accordingly, the report provides a summary and a broad introduction to these different issues and does not elaborate on them in great detail.
The main goal of the report is to provide a guide on RTC technology to facilitate its understanding and acceptance by the user community. The primary audience is the practicing engineer, in a municipality or in a consulting firm, who has had limited exposure to RTC. Also, the report should serve as a resource document for use by federal and state program officials and regulators, researchers, and the interested public.
There is no simple or single “recipe” for successful RTC implementation. The report provides some guidance for the methodology to be used in the design, development, and implementation of RTC systems, but it does not identify or recommend a single solution that will fit any municipality or any set of operational issues.