VTScada Upgrade for Water Production
Completed By Advanced-Certified Integrator, Enterprise Automation
Client background
The City of Huntington Beach, California is a predominantly residential city with a population of about 200,000 located in northwestern Orange County. The City owns and operates both the water utility and wastewater collection system serving its 200,000 citizens. Their assets include 27 sewer lift stations, 10 wells, 5 reservoirs, 16 flood stations, and 9 turnouts where imported water from Metropolitan Water District (MWD) is resold to several local cities and agencies.
Project background
Prior to this project, the City used a Wonderware-based SCADA system which had grown and evolved through the work of several previous integrators. With a mix of programming styles from the many different entities who were involved over the years, the system lacked a standard structure from the start. Years of “quick fixes” by multiple integrators added to the lack of general cohesion, making troubleshooting and incorporating new infrastructure difficult and time consuming. While the
existing system was functional on a day-to-day basis, the cost and difficulty of upkeep led the City to seek out new options. The City asked EA to help find an alternative software solution and standardize operations.
EA Solutions
Based on a comparative selection process and evaluation, the City and EA selected VTScada
as a replacement SCADA product. Shortly after, EA and the City began the transition process
from Wonderware System Platform to VTScada. Typically, EA projects follow a waterfall project
management approach, first creating a specification or defining document that becomes the basis
for systems to be built thereafter. In this particular case, EA and CoHB decided on a more agile
project management approach to allow for more adjustment throughout the development process.
This would allow for co-development of the product and make changes possible without having to
commit to significant development costs. Scheduling in-person bi-weekly meetings enabled just-in time decision making and gave the City direct involvement in the development. In the end, the entire
system was documented through this adjusted process.
Before starting the design, EA completed extensive reverse-engineering to classify the different
types of screens and graphics, list the different tags, and understand the alarms. Once the existing
process was documented, EA engineers created a strong set of standards for equipment such as
pumps, valves and transmitters. When this step was complete, EA was able to templatize entire
sites.
Once the templates were complete, EA executed a deliberate commissioning plan with a single
site for each asset type, running the new system in parallel with the existing system for almost six
months. During this time, the City made direct comparisons between the new and existing systems
and continued to work with EA to tweak and finalize the template’s tag structures and screen
graphics template. Operators were also able to train and familiarize themselves with VTScada
while still having the outgoing system available. Once the City felt the templates were complete and
operations staff were familiar, they were rolled out across each site type and brought online in mere
hours.
As an example, the 16 flood station control sites are all built from the same template, screen
graphic template, and tag template, allowing for consistency throughout operation. Once the first
flood station control site was operational, the remaining 15 were commissioned in very little time.
The same procedure was used for the wells, reservoirs, sewer lift stations, and pump stations.
Although an agile development process and just-in-time decision making may have added to the
total cost of development, the client was incredibly happy with the approach and service they
received along the way, as well as with the final product. The project’s return on investment made
itself evident through the reduced annual costs of VTScada and the ease of maintaining and
supporting the new system.
Case Study Originally published by Enterprise Automation: VTSCADA Upgrade for Water Production – Enterprise Automation
About EA:
From consulting and planning to execution and deployment, Enterprise Automation provides systems integration and automation services for process-driven industries. With dedicated offices in California and Arizona and over 500 additional Tetra Tech offices around the globe, Enterprise Automation commands best-in-class engineering services and disciplines to facilitate specialized turnkey and design build automation projects. In 2025, we became a leading member of Tetra Tech’s Digital Systems Group (DSX), which connects clients with their assets through integrated control and digital systems. This unit addresses water, infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing challenges, helping clients modernize operations and enhance asset visibility. Through our DSX partners TIGA, Convergence Controls, and SAGE Group, our clients benefit from this network of highly-vetted digital transformation groups across the globe and further bridge the gap between operations and enterprise systems. These multidisciplinary teams offer a full spectrum of services, from electrical and instrumentation and control (I&C) design to enterprise SCADA, cybersecurity, and cloud integration.