Replacing LA Bureau of Sanitation legacy control systems with a modern, automated system

Los Angeles Wastewater Information Network

Faced with 25-year-old automation systems, increasing regulatory scrutiny, and a high retirement rate among staff, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation sought to replace its disparate control systems with a new modern system.

As part of an integrated program management team, we helped the Bureau replace all enterprise control elements and integrate four treatment plants, 150 pump stations, sewage flow monitoring sites, and auxiliary sites into a unified operational system. Our team first developed an automation master plan and business case to justify the replacement and summarize the long-term execution plan. We then helped develop procurement documents, conduct selection activities, and develop an implementation plan for construction and commissioning.

Throughout the project, we conducted steering committee meetings to keep stakeholders engaged and coordinated closely with other City organizations, including the City’s legal, contract administration and appointed executives. We also solicited feedback from mid-level staff and operators, then developed a basis of design document that served as a guide for the technical approach and specifications.

Our commercial approach saved $120 million in capital costs for ratepayers. The technical and commercial approach includes key features such as a 99.9 performance service level guarantee for the network and process control system, upgrades at years 8 and 14 to guarantee a barrier to obsolescence, and unit price guarantees and product escrows to protect the City from aggressive pricing strategies and product viability. Also, with a complete retrofit of the facility’s ground level, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation was able to engage public tours with secure viewings of system operations activities.