French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

Overview

Company Overview –   While the plant is only a few decades old, North Ridgeville has continually upgraded and maintained operations of the facility. They have invested millions of dollars to ensure they remain current with technology and in compliance with the ever-changing environmental guidelines. French Creek is ready to serve its growing customer base well into the future with safe, sanitary and cost effective treatment of sewage.  The plant operates 24 hours per day with two shifts rotating daily to maintain and monitor the best working conditions of the equipment, keeping the water released back into French Creek clean and safe.

Business Challenge – French Creek Wastewater Treatment, in their quest for constant process improvements, launched a Process Control and Monitoring project utilizing the latest in SCADA technologies.  While this new technology would ultimately provide FCWWT with improved process controls, and advanced local and remote monitoring; it first required the improvement of the facility’s network infrastructure to support the project.  FCWWT was in need of a completely updated fiber based network, capable of handling the new data from the SCADA system, wireless communications across the campus for timely updates to the processing equipment, and a campus-wide security camera system.

Technology Used –  To provide the backbone on which this new technology would operate, FCWWT engaged with Laketec to design and implement a completely new fiber based network utilizing 15+ HP/Aruba POE+ Switches; a combination of 20+ Aruba industrial-grade interior and weather-resistant exterior wireless access points; and nearly 50 interior/exterior IP-based security cameras throughout the campus and buildings.

Benefits Derived – FCWWT is now able to monitor all their processing systems 24×7, providing real-time alerts to technicians, thus allowing them to visually monitor, either locally or remotely every system within the facility. FCWWT has been able to reduce the number of times technicians are dispatched during off-hours.  Processing metrics outside of allowable ranges are immediately conveyed to the management team, with appropriate corrective actions be implemented within minutes versus hours.