Hydraulic Modeling and GIS Applications at Tucson Water Department city of tucson
The water department of Tucson, Arizona, converted its
paper water-system maps to an ArcSDE geodatabase
integrated with operation and maintenance and an asset
management system. The planning and engineering division
created dynamic EPS hydraulic models of its systems using
data contained within the geodatabase, SCADA data,
billing information, and other data sources. These models
are used for CIP planning, master plan approval, fire-flow
Review of Eagle Lake Water Supply dayton & Knight Ltd
analysis, system investigations, water quality analysis,
vulnerability/threat assessment, and other uses.
The models were created using Bentley’s WaterCAD and
WaterGEMS. The models have saved time in routine tasks,
annual analysis, and long-term planning efforts, and have
provided the project teams with a better understanding of
the strengths and weaknesses of the city’s water system.
West Vancouver, Canada, gets water from its own Eagle Lake
watershed and also buys water from the Greater Vancouver
Regional District. An analysis of its water system using Bentley’s
WaterCAD software helped the community develop a plan
to make the best use of its own water source. It included
capital construction expenditures of over $16 million dollars
to improve the security and quality of the water supply, and
reduce the cost of pumping water to higher elevations by
providing a gravity feed.
A detailed study of the existing water supply strategy by the
city’s water department included a review of the WaterCAD
model results with actual field conditions. Upon initial calibration
of the model, a high degree of confidence was developed in
model calculations, which led to acceptance by operations
staff. The model was then used to analyze various capital
construction projects.
