Across the United States, municipalities are under pressure to modernize aging water and wastewater infrastructure by improving efficiency, reducing maintenance costs and minimizing environmental risk. However, limited budgets, legacy equipment and lean staffing make it difficult to continue using traditional, manual processes.
System integration can offer a practical path forward. By connecting existing control hardware with cloud-based monitoring platforms, utilities can gain better visibility into equipment performance and alarm conditions without the need for full system overhauls.
A compelling example comes from a municipal pump station in Florida. The city implemented a targeted integration strategy to address a recurring overflow issue, streamline maintenance and build a scalable foundation for long-term system improvements.
Recurring Spills
Like many municipalities, this one historically relied on field staff to visit each lift station daily and log pump runtimes from hour meters. This process consumed valuable labor hours and often delayed the city’s response to emerging problems.
One station in particular had become a chronic concern. Overflows were occurring without a clear root cause. Operators suspected stormwater infiltration but had limited data to confirm the theory. Despite increased site visits and manual flow estimations, the problem persisted.This station became the pilot site for a new approach. The city explored remote monitoring as a path toward better visibility and proactive maintenance.
Implementing Remote Monitoring
A remote monitoring system designed specifically for wastewater applications was selected for the task. This technology leverages a compact cellular remote terminal unit (RTU) and a secure cloud dashboard. The system delivers up-to-date performance data and alarm notifications to any internet-connected device, eliminating the need for daily on-site visits. Installing the system in an existing control panel presented some typical integration challenges:
- Space limitations required creative mounting of the RTU.
- Electrical constraints meant adding a power supply and auxiliary contacts for monitoring.
- Legacy motor starters had to be outfitted with auxiliary contacts to track run status and detect overloads.
Despite these hurdles, the retrofit was completed without major panel upgrades, showing the adaptability of the monitoring system in real-world conditions. Once online, the system monitored key signals including:
- Pump runtimes and overload trips
- Wet well levels and high-level alarms
- Phase loss or reversal
- Motor current (for high draw or dry run detection)
- Volumetric inflow and daily flow calculations
All data was transmitted every 10 minutes, with real-time alerts triggered for critical conditions. Operators could now monitor their stations from a central dashboard, configure reports and receive SMS/email notifications for issues like high water levels or pump faults.
Detecting the Source of Infiltration
The impact of the integrated monitoring solution was almost immediate.
Using the cloud dashboard, operators correlated inflow spikes at the problem lift station with local rainfall events. By cross-referencing runtime logs and alarm history, they traced the source of the overflow problem to several open cleanouts at a nearby gas station. These openings allowed stormwater to flood the sanitary sewer during heavy rains, causing surges the system was not designed to handle.
With the infiltration point identified, the city was able to take corrective action, and subsequent storm events no longer resulted in spills. Just like that, a problem that had persisted for months was resolved, not with costly infrastructure replacements but with smarter monitoring and integrated data.
Citywide Rollout
Impressed by the results, the city decided to use the monitoring system for all of its wastewater lift stations. Because the system is modular, scalable and designed for retrofit scenarios, city staff were able to deploy it systemwide quickly and cost-effectively.
Day-to-day operations have fundamentally changed:
- Hour meter readings are now collected automatically and stored in the cloud.
- Staff are alerted to issues right away, rather than discovering them after the fact.
- Preventive maintenance is now data-driven, based on trends and performance metrics.
Part of what makes this project notable is not just the technology but how it was implemented. The integration of the monitoring system into legacy panels shows what is possible when system integrators, manufacturers and municipalities work together toward modernization.
As municipalities across the country look for ways to do more with less, this project provides a compelling model for transforming outdated infrastructure into smart systems.
