Client: City of Indianapolis/CEG

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis was faced with an obsolete Bailey control system, various aging PLC systems that were difficult to troubleshoot and maintain, old wiring, and electrical hazardous rating classification issues at its Belmont and Southport Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plants (AWTs). The City retained Donohue to provide planning and design services for a new, state-of-the-practice integrated process control system at both plants.

The planning process included workshops and meetings to discuss areas with special control and environmental concerns, guidelines for development of new process control systems, opinions of probable construction costs, and phasing alternatives for implementation of the new process control systems. Donohue’s design efforts included a complete survey of the facilities to develop flow sheets for existing processes. This level of investigation accurately maintains the existing functionality and saved the City capital costs by specifically defining the required components. The design included network and computer hardware and software requirements and a detailed overall network design to tie the entire system together.

The design for this project is based on the standard architecture I&C master specification and the City’s long-term purchase agreement, both developed by Donohue. By using these standards, the Bailey replacement control system seamlessly integrates the SCADA collection system and establishes a foundation for future capital improvement projects scheduled to be completed over a 7-year span. The overall project was divided into three phases to accommodate budget restraints and the conversion of the entire plants’ control systems without disrupting treatment ability or water quality.