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BENEFITS OF SEWERAGE SYSTEM REAL-TIME CONTROL
Citation:
STINSON, M. K. BENEFITS OF SEWERAGE SYSTEM REAL-TIME CONTROL. Presented at World Water and Environmental Resources Congress, Anchorage, AL, May 15 - 19, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
Real-time control (RTC) is a custom-designed computer-assisted management system for a specific urban sewerage network that is activated during a wet-weather flow event. Though uses of RTC systems had started in the mid 60s, recent developments in computers, telecommunication, instrumentation, and automation made RTC an advanced technology of the 21st century. There have been huge improvements in the sophistication and dependability of these systems. Currently, RTC systems can be designed to address any aspect of sewerage management by controlling: combined sewer overflows, surcharges, sanitary sewer overflows, flooding, in-line and off-line storage, load increases to treatment plants, and locations of unavoidable discharges to receiving waters. An important feature of the RTC management is its cost effectiveness. RTC operations maximize storage, a source of substantial savings. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Urban Watershed Management Branch's predecessor storm and combined sewer overflow management research program has been compiling information on RTC systems since 1967. Management of eight RTC projects have been completed and two are in progress. The findings from the U.S. EPA studies will support and illustrate multiple uses and benefits of RTC.