DUDEK - Master Planning for Efficient O&M

Management Support

Indio Water Authority Turns To Master Planning For More Efficient O&M
The Indio Water Authority (IWA) is a joint powers authority and a municipally-owned utility located in California’s Coachella Valley. Due to the valley’s rapid growth coupled with the responsibility for the City of Indio’s water delivery system, IWA decided on a proactive approach to operations and maintenance. This fast-growing desert utility serves more than 56,000 residents, who consume approximately 21.3 million gallons of water per day from 18 groundwater wells.

“While we are a new water agency, we are operating an older system with limited documentation,” said Gary Lewis, IWA’s general manager. “We need to know what we have, where it is, and have the resources necessary to efficiently and cost-effectively operate and maintain our facilities.”

To accomplish this, IWA enlisted Dudek to prepare a water system master plan that delved into the agency’s business and operational management. This master plan gives Lewis’ staff the necessary tools and information to make informed decisions.

The IWA master plan began with identifying specific pieces of equipment at the various water wells, booster pumps and treatment plants. This led to the creation of the first set of 24 operations and maintenance programs.

Programs included typical valve, hydrant, and tank maintenance guidelines as well as dead-end flushing, disinfection methods and service installation guides. Additionally, staff effort required for each program was evaluated to help IWA assign appropriate resources, balancing costs with needs.

The resulting set of standard water details took into account a set of old details as well as changes in industry standards used throughout the Coachella Valley.

“We prepared a CAD standards manual for use by developers when designing and submitting plans for the water authority’s review,” said Russ Bergholz, a Dudek senior project manager. “The CAD standards promote consistency in the submittal process, allowing for more efficient review of proposed water infrastructure as well as allowing each development CAD file to be combined through a common layering convention.”

Separately, Dudek prepared a complete set of standard details for the City of Indio as well as a citywide benchmarking program to unify all future developments.

IWA also needed a way to organize their files. This was delivered by way of a Web-based document and information management system that allows staff to add electronic files to a searchable database organized based on facility location and/or section within the agency.

“We created an information management system, which included an intranet-based document repository for customized indexing of the standard operating procedures, reports, agreements, contracts, service information, and facility information among other electronic forms of information,” explained Bergholz.

“With these components in place, there is no question as to what needs to be done and when,” concluded Lewis.

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