Water modeling technology helps decision making
Westernport Water has used analysis from its hydraulic modeling system to avoid major disruption to services after the Church St water main in Cowes burst just before Christmas
Steven Porter, Westernport Water’s General Manager of Operations, said that the burst and disruption to normal water supply had the potential to be a major problem for some customers.
“The burst was assessed by our engineers and they indicated that complex repair work was required, which could have had a large impact on residents, tourists and businesses in the area over the festive season,” Mr. Porter said.
“Seeking a friendlier alternative, our team used hydraulic models to simulate capacity and expected demand conditions, confirming that it was possible to re-route water from another main. This minimised the supply interruption and provided our maintenance crews with more time to plan the repair work.”
The burst was isolated and temporary repairs were undertaken with minimal disruption to the community. This allowed major works to be completed at a more suitable time, early in the new year.
Mr. Porter said, “We’d like to apologise to members of the community that may have been affected, and extend our thanks to all our staff for their dedicated work in solving the problem.”