Sunapsys Delivers Automation Solution for Moneta WWTP

Sunapsys Delivers Automation Solution for Moneta Wastewater Treatment Plant

The explosion of growth along the 122 corridor of southern Bedford County has been the driving force behind the largest project ever undertaken by the Bedford County Public Service Authority (BCPSA). Completed in January of 2007, the Moneta Wastewater Treatment Plant is the area's first regional wastewater treatment facility. The MWWTP will initially have a 500,000 gallon per day capacity and be fed by three additional pump stations in the plant's service area. The plant was designed to easily expand to meet the future needs of over 3,000 residential units and more than a half a million square feet of commercial and office space already in the planning stages.

The scope of the project required a team with a wide range of knowledge be involved from the beginning. The Moneta Resource Group comprised of the Falwel Corporation and English Construction, was formed for the express purpose of designing, building and commissioning the new system.

To minimize future operating costs, the BCPSA specified that the new system include the latest in automation and computerized controls. The Moneta Resource Group asked Sunapsys, Inc. to join the team of engineers, designers and contractors for this project. Sunapsys was selected for their proven ability to provide services for all phases of this project - design, build, and startup. Sunapsys' teamwork and commitment on previous projects for English Construction and BCPSA was also considered.

Sunapsys engineers collaborated closely with engineers, designers, suppliers, contractors, operators and PSA personnel in each phase of design and construction of the facility. During the design phase, a suggestion from Sunapsys engineers led to relocating the plant operations building to minimize long runs of electrical wiring. This reduced installation costs, and will simplify expanding the plant in the future.

The customized automation designed by Sunapsys, Inc. minimizes the cost to operate the new plant, making it possible for a single employee to handle daily operations. Sunapsys worked closely with equipment suppliers on the project to integrate their systems into the plant automation. This eliminated numerous "islands of automation" within the plant, and allowed BCPSA personnel to learn one system for monitoring and controlling all systems in the plant.

The Sunapsys control system automatically controls variable speed pumps to provide a consistent flow of water into the plant while also being able to handle peaks in demand. The system continuously monitors and logs water quality - further freeing the operator to concentrate on the job at hand. In the event that any abnormalities do occur within the system, an alarm system put in place by Sunapsys will notify BCPSA personnel, who can quickly respond to correct the problem.

Sunapsys also integrated the Moneta Wastewater Treatment Plant and collection system into the BCPSA county-wide SCADA system. Developed and installed by Sunapsys, the SCADA system allows BCPSA personnel to monitor and collect data from 13 different treatment plants, storage tanks and pump stations located across the county. Communications between the sites is made possible through dial-up phone lines, wireless or high-speed internet.

Unlike some integrators who may hire outside the firm to "pump up" their own list of qualifications, Sunapsys designed, implemented, and managed the entire integration process through to the completion of the project. The specialized engineering skills of Sunapsys guaranteed that the interoperability of the plant would be optimized from the moment of startup and continue to provide peace of mind to the BCPSA personnel throughout future expansions.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the project is that it was Virginia's premier wastewater project made possible by the Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA). As the first PPEA project undertaken by a public service authority, the project drew lots of attention from other Virginia public utilities; as many seek new options for funding large public use projects.

Under the guidelines set forth by the PPEA, any qualifying project is defined as one that is designed to meet public purpose while being developed and operated by a public entity. The PPEA allows public utilities the opportunity to partner with private investors to minimize cost and timelines for completing large scale projects

By forming a business relationship with area developers under PPEA guidelines, both BCPSA and participating area developers will reap benefits for years to come. The Bedford County PSA saved the taxpayers more than 2 million dollars by partnering with area developers and managed to bring the project to a close under budget and sooner than originally anticipated. With the PPEA process, the new plant was designed, constructed, and placed in operation in only 16 months. A traditional design-bid-build process would have taken 3-4 years.

While the residential and commercial growth is seen as a positive for Moneta, Bedford County is taking the necessary measures to minimize any negative impacts sometimes felt by large scale land expansion. Bedford County plans to use the Moneta system to consolidate growth into "village" areas instead of allowing for uncontrolled sprawl. By doing this, the county maintains good stewardship of the environment while providing a much needed service to the growing community.

The regional wastewater facility in Moneta has provided a much more environmentally friendly alternative to numerous private septic systems needed to support the rapidly growing area. This will ensure that the ecological footprint of such dynamic expansion be reduced as much as possible. In addition, the lasting relationships formed through the PPEA will continue to thrive and serve as what those involved hope will set the precedent for future PPEA funded projects.