Projects

Milpitas Water/Wastewater/Stormwater Utility SCADA

• Study

• Design

• Construction Support Services

City of Milpitas, Milpitas, CA

For the City of Milpitas, Timberline has studied and is designing a wide-area network (WAN) PC-based SCADA system, the City’s first system. The project encompasses 23 water facilities, two wastewater lift stations, and 13 stormwater lift stations. The City purchases potable water from San Francisco Public Utility Commission (SFPUC) and Santa Clara Valley Water District for residential and industrial use. SFPUC water is delivered via three turnouts on the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct. Other facilities include four pump stations, five tanks, 10 PRV stations, and one well. The SCADA master station will be located at the Corporation Yard. Telemetry options included licensed 900 MHz multiple address radio, unlicensed 900 MHz spread spectrum (SS) radio, and leased telephone. After detailed study, three 900 MHz SS point-to-multipoint master radios and six hops of 2 GHz SS point-to-point microwave were selected to link remote sites and six workstation sites. The WAN configuration features Ethernet cards in Allen-Bradley PLCs (PLC5/40E).

An important feature of the Milpitas SCADA system will be the ability for select SCADA data to be sent to the City’s Geographic Information System and Maintenance Management System for in-house use.

Tularcitos Reservoir Showing a Photosim of a Proposed Microwave Tower

Timberline’s study and design services for the Milpitas SCADA project included meetings and workshops, site visits, requirements development, telemetry alternatives analyses, conceptual design report, and 50, 90 and 100% plans and specifications. Timberline will also provide bid period and construction support services. As is typical during construction, Timberline will provide submittal review, witness the factory acceptance test, providing technical support during integration and installation, witness the site acceptance test, and review system performance during the availability test phase of the project.

Timberline created photographic simulations or “photosims” for Milpitas as an aid in visualizing the impact of the communication structures required on the project. This proved very valuable in balancing technical requirements with public sensitivities.