F26
Issued 1/7/2000

91 Hammond Avenue, PO Box 456
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
Phone 02 6922 0608 Fax: 02 6921 2241
Email: admin@rwcc.com.au

SYSTEM CONTROL AND
DATA ACQUISITION

Riverina Water County Council installed a Rad-tel SCADA system in 1986 to enable remote monitoring of 8 reservoirs and 6 pumping stations. The system now monitors and controls 57 reservoirs, 39 pumping stations, 4 treatment plants and 23 bore sites.

SCADA is a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition system which, as its name implies, allows operators to monitor and control the water supply system as well as analyse data relating to the system’s performance. The SCADA system supplied by Rad-tel Systems Pty Ltd utilises 2-way radio to provide data (and voice) communications between a Central Monitoring Facility (CMF) computer based at the Wagga Wagga waterworks and Remote Terminal Units (RTU) at seventy-four (74) water supply sites.

• Pump start - stop
• Automatic - Manual pump operation
• Valve open – close
• Various alarm status
• Power supply failure
• Reservoir levels
• Flow rates

• Pump start – stop based on relevant reservoir levels
• Valve open – close
• Use of pumps to maximise use of off-peak electricity
• Manual over-ride of pump and valve operation

• Reservoir levels
• Flow rates
• Pump Starts and stops

SCHEMATIC OF RIVERINA WATER SCADA SYSTEM

At the Central Monitoring Facility, Rad-tel software runs on Windows-95 based PCs. Three networked computers provide operators with an overview of the water supply system at any time, as well as allowing them to inspect the status of individual sites in more detail as and when required.

The computer network at Riverina Water includes fibre optic links between the three major building complexes. The network allows Rad-tel software to be run at any desk with access to a personal computer (eg. Operators, supervisors, engineers). Dial-up access allows staff to access the SCADA from home or from our rural depots. Notebook computers and mobile phones allow access to the SCADA from any location within mobile range - this is particularly useful for electrical maintenance staff.