An Evaluation of Technologies to Automate U.S. Army Water and Wastewater Systems
Abstract
The U.S. Army currently faces reductions in budget and personnel that support and operate its domestic and industrial water and wastewater systems. It may be possible to maintain required levels of service at Army wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by installing and using automated systems at the plants. Automation technologies have been successfully applied at municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment plants, and collection and distribution systems. The Army, however, has automated relatively few of its water and wastewater systems, even though the technology to do so is both economically practical and immediately available. Automation offers a promising alternative to labor-intensive operations, especially for the Army, which has a shortage of skilled workforce. This study investigated and evaluated the Army's needs to automate its water and wastewater systems using off-the-shelf technology. Representative Army installations were visited to interview plant personnel and review current operating and maintenance practices. Areas that could be automated were located, and several alternative control system approaches were identified. Each alternative system was judged against a set of predetermined criteria, and an approach for implementing automation was recommended. Army facilities, Automation, Wastewater treatment plants, Water treatment plants.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA277051
Entities
People
- Byung-joon Kim
- Robert G. Skrentner
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory