Recently a public water system experienced a significant system failure. Fortunately for Butte Creek Estates Service Corporation, they have a Watchman System keeping an “eye” on their system.

This PWS is a complex, three-well system with multiple chlorine injection points. Prior to the Watchman System they had difficulty managing the residual chlorine levels in the system due to varying flows, chlorine potency and seasonal changes. Once the Watchman System was installed they were easily able to maintain their desired free chlorine levels between a 0.2 - 0.6 parts per million, keeping the level at around 0.3 PPM during almost any operating condition.

Early one evening recently the Water System Manager received an alert from the Watchman System on his cell phone that the residual chlorine levels were high. Because the system is Watchman enabled, he had access in real time to review the cause of the alarm. The Chlorine alarms indicated that the system was well over 2.0 PPM at the site 2 pumping station.  A second review from a board member confirmed the reading; however the site 1 monitoring location was indicating a normal 0.3 PPM.

The Water System Manager said his phone was going “crazy” with Chlorine alarms of way over 2.0 PPM at site 2.  Once on site, the Water System Manager did a wet-test to confirm that the residual chlorine was OVER 2.0.  The Watchman data logger showed a peak reading of 3.8 PPM.

The Water System Manager went into immediate action. He shut down Pump Site #2 and opened a fire hydrant. Another local wet-test showed the system chlorine dropping right away with a measured chlorine level of 0.33 PPM.  The Water System Manager opened a second fire hydrant in the subdivision and after about 2 hours the system was back to normal levels.

Quoting a member of the Water System Board;

“It would appear that without Watchman we would have had very dangerous chlorine level in the system that we would not have discovered until sometime the next day.”  

 

 The Watchman System was developed specifically to meet the needs of the small to medium water system. As this example shows, small water systems are under tremendous pressure to meet strict water quality standards, water availability and system integrity. The Watchman System is the complete system that along with your Water System Manager, can ensure that you will always have the water system under the watchful eye of a professional who understands water systems and their management requirements.