Using the latest water system technologies is an important way that your Water District lowers costs and improves service.

For example, the District's Bella Vista water quality treatment plant is almost entirely controlled by a powerful computer, making operation of the plant almost completely automated.

The computer carefully monitors and adjusts many aspects of the plant’s operation, improving water quality and lowering costs.

Vital Water Information for Customers of Montecito Water District
Winter 2001

Water News

High Tech System Saves Money, Improves Customer Service

It was 3:00 a.m. and the Water District’s on-call field technician was at home. An alarm on his laptop alerted him that pressure in a neighborhood pipeline had fallen dramatically; a water main had burst. His laptop told him where the problem was. Using the laptop, he immediately shut off a pump in the area and alerted the maintenance crew. The problem was fixed rapidly, huge amounts of water were saved and property damage was avoided.

Montecito Water District's SCADA system remotely monitors and controls key water facilities

This real incident is just one example of the efficiency and benefits of the District’s remote control system, called SCADA. In recent years, Montecito Water has been systematically connecting all its facilities to the SCADA system providing monitoring and control of pump stations and reservoirs remotely. Previously, field personnel had to drive across the District to manually check and adjust equipment. Now most of the water system can be monitored and controlled from any location.

Additional features are being added to the SCADA remote control system. Currently District staff are investigating controls that would automatically start backup power generators if utility power is cut off. These continuing SCADA improvements lower customer costs and improve water service reliability

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