Water Main Break & Power Outage
On May 7, 2022, operators at the Lake Belton Water Treatment Plant observed a significant loss of pressure on a portion of the outgoing treated water system. Upon further investigation, a 48-inch concrete steel cylinder water main was found to be leaking and losing a significant amount of water. The Water Control and Improvement Districts (WCID-1) crew isolated and dewatered the damaged segment to complete repairs of the water main. During this time, due to the significant water loss and the 48-inch water main being out of service, WCID-1 asked all its customers to reduce water use by 50%.
Also in May 2022, an Oncor fuse blew at the Lake Belton Water Treatment Plant, and a lack of back-up power caused the plant to lose power for three hours, forcing 200,000 people and businesses across the area to be placed under boil-water notices for days.
In aging water treatment facilities, pipes and pumps are more likely to leak or break, which can lead to service disruptions and water contamination.
CDM Smith Engineering & Construction Firm Plans Upgrades
The Belton Lake Water Treatment Plant reached out to CDM Smith, a Texas-based engineering and construction firm, to recommend necessary upgrades for maintenance and capacity. Recommendations included replacement of a 5,000-foot stretch of the 48-inch transmission line due to the amount of breaks it has experienced, replacement of two surge tanks, upgrades to the raw water pump station, and recoating of a storage tank at Plant 3. The upgrades for the Belton Lake Water Treatment Plant are estimated at $118 million for the 70-year-old facility.
When Ricky Garrett, WCID-1 General Manager, was interviewed by the Killeen Daily Herald regarding the maintenance needs at the Belton Lake Water Treatment Plant, he said:
“I can’t go another year and not do anything with these maintenance issues. The problem is that much of the current treatment capacity is relying on dated electrical equipment to run the plant, which is why there is a sense of urgency for maintenance upgrades.
Sixty million gallons of the 90 million gallons a day of pumping capacity we have relies on 1979 switchgear. That gear is no longer supported, it’s at the end of its useful life, and replacement time for that gear is about a year; so we’re kind of on borrowed time.
My concern is if we don’t stake our claim to the water that we think we’re going to need down the road, it will not be there. When we finally decide that we want some more water, then it will be more expensive, and we’ll have to go through a lot more headaches.”
GPRS 3D Laser Scanning Delivers Data of Raw Water Pump Station
To plan for maintenance and capacity upgrades to the Belton Lake Water Treatment Plant, CDM Smith required 3D laser scanning of the facility to capture accurate point cloud data and generate a 3D BIM model.
GPRS partnered with CDM Smith to 3D laser scan approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of interior and exterior existing conditions of the Raw Water Pump Station. Raw water pump stations move untreated water from the lake to the water treatment plant. Pump station components include wet well, pumps, piping with associated valves and strainers, motors, power supply systems, equipment control and alarm systems, odor control systems, and ventilation systems. These stations are essential to maintain adequate water pressure and supply reliable water to communities and facilities.
Garrett also commented, “When you see some of the really big components are severely corroded and at the end of their useful life, and you learn that a majority of the pumping capacity is relying on electric service and switch gear that’s 46 years old, it removes any question about the need for the maintenance upgrade.”
CDM Smith made the following recommendations to upgrade the Raw Water Pump Station:
- Replace two pumps (No. 9 & No. 11)
- Build new raw water electrical building
- Install new underground duct bank to the existing main electrical building
- Repower existing raw water electrical buildings
- Replace raw water line, specifically replace 1,530 FL of 35-inch pipe with 45-inch pipe
GPRS Project Manager Kevin Riley used the Leica RTC360 laser scanner to capture comprehensive existing conditions data of the interior and exterior building and piping in color, along with three survey control points, used to create a consistent coordinate system.
The Leica RTC360 laser scanner captured 2-4mm accurate dimensions and layout of the exterior pumps and interior electric room, including all architectural elements, such as floors, walls, windows, doors, ceilings, stairs, roof, curtain wall; and all mechanical elements, such as conduit and pipe 2” and above, ducts, valves, joints, flanges, electrical panels, cable tray, pumps and motors, electrical transformers, HVAC equipment, busbar, couplings, and junction boxes.
The point cloud data captured was used to create a 3D BIM model of the Raw Water Pump Station, delivering critical as-built data for CDM Smith to design upgrades, prefabricate components, and perform clash detection.
Documenting control points allowed the surveyed conditions to be accurately aligned with the BIM model, reducing design inaccuracies that could lead to costly mistakes and project delays.
How Can 3D Laser Scanning Aid Water Treatment Plant Upgrades?
Laser scanning can capture existing conditions of water treatment plants with precise detail. The resulting point cloud data can be used to create accurate as-built drawings and models, delivering the actual layout of equipment, pipes, tanks, and infrastructure.
When a plant undergoes renovations or expansion, 3D scans provide designers and engineers with precise measurements of the existing structure. This minimizes errors and reduces the likelihood of clashes between new and existing systems.
All departments, from design to operations to maintenance, can use the 3D laser scan data as a single source of truth, reducing miscommunication and ensuring that all teams work from the same accurate information.
How Can We Help? The GPRS Difference.
GPRS 3D laser scanning services document the exact architectural, structural, and MEP system layout and dimensions of existing buildings, facilities, and sites. We have captured as built site conditions for water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants from 40 MGD to 1 BGD, documenting the interior and exterior of buildings; foundations; structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing features; equipment, motors, conduit and piping down to ½ inch diameter.
GPRS Project Managers use industry-leading Leica survey-grade laser scanners to capture 2–4-millimeter accurate existing site conditions in the form of a point cloud. Our in-house Mapping & Modeling Team can transform those point clouds into customized 2D CAD drawings, 3D BIM models, 3D mesh models, TruViews, and 3D virtual tours at any level of detail for visualization, analysis, design, construction, renovation, prefabrication, and facility modifications. We work directly with municipalities, engineering firms, and privately owned facilities.
Our 3D Laser Scanning Experience in Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants Include:
- Water Treatment Plants
- Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Water Distribution Systems
- Pumping Stations
- Elevated and Digester Tanks
- Pipe Galleries
- Filter Pump Rooms
- Sedimentary Basins
- Flocculation Basins
- Large Format Pipe Runs
- Water Purification Systems
- Polymer Rooms
With GPRS, clients can rest assured that our rigorously trained Project Managers use state-of-the-art technology to deliver the accurate as built information you need to do the job right. GPRS leads the industry to deliver precise as built information to enhance communication and collaboration among your project teams.
What can we help you visualize?
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