In the city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a technological transformation is redefining water distribution practices and ensuring the efficient transfer of knowledge. Through the integration of Qatium, the Murfreesboro Water Resources Department (MWRD) has been able to streamline unidirectional flushing to improve water quality and cut costs across the board.
It blew my mind. We’re ahead of schedule, and by doing this, we can get a lot more material out of the lines than flushing like normal.
Knowledge transfer challenges
Murfreesboro, a city of just over 160,000 people, is at the geographic center of the state of Tennessee. The city is served by two water sources: the East Fork of the Stones River and the J. Percy Priest Lake. The Murfreesboro Water Resources Department (MWRD) serves 105,000 of the city’s population, with the remainder served by Consolidated Utility District of Rutherford County. The MWRD’s water treatment plant operates continuously, and has an average production of over 11 million gallons per day of potable water.
As water pipes are used, they build up sedimentation and debris. To address this, pipes are “flushed” regularly – i.e. water is pushed through at a high velocity to remove anything that does not belong. Unidirectional flushing, in which water is pushed through from one direction at a high velocity, is preferable to regular flushing because a high velocity can be reached soon, reducing the amount of flow output needed and saving water in the process.
In the past, when MWRD wanted to conduct unidirectional flushing, they needed to either work with an engineer or an operator who was trained in a complex technological tool. Without that engineer or specifically trained operator, they were left with no alternative but to conduct regular flushing — pouring water, time, and money down the drain
Enhancing operational efficiency with Qatium
Working with sensor and reading data sent by Specific Energy, MWRD implemented Qatium to create a virtual representation of their water network that incorporates real-time data to inform decision making.
Now, any MWRD operator, no matter their technical or engineering training, can easily run a flushing simulation to see velocity, pressure, flow, water age, and understand which customers will be impacted and how. Flushing sequencing is no longer a lengthy, cumbersome, expensive affair – it can be as easy as a few mouse clicks.
As Murfreesboro Operator Brandon Verbaere noted, “Pinpointing where exactly to flush was extremely helpful.”
Joe Russell, Assistant Manager, Water Treatment Plant, emphasized how easy it is to use Qatium. “If we have a line break, we can click on that and it’ll tell us which valves to shut down. That comes in handy.” He added, “With the other water models that I’ve dealt with, I get frustrated in the first five minutes. This water model is a lot easier to function and use.”
Unidirectional flushing: a case study in success
Thanks to how easy and accessible Qatium is, the Murfreesboro Water Resources Department can now conduct unidirectional flushing with confidence. Highlights of their initial use of Qatium included:
— Completed two days ahead of schedule
— Zero customer complaints
— Improved material (iron) removal
— Effective in PVC pipes: the flushing proved effective even in PVC infrastructure.
It was a complete success. It proved that by doing this, we can get more material out of the lines than if we’re just out there flushing like normal.
Next steps for Murfreesboro
MWRD operators are excited about the continued use of Qatium and its impact on the future of their water network. Plans are in motion to finalize water usage data and implement future enhancements.
Murfreesboro’s experience with Qatium and this unidirectional flushing pilot project illustrates the transformative power of innovation in water management – both in terms of efficiency, as well as knowledge transfer. As other cities look to modernize their water systems, Murfreesboro serves as a model for achieving both immediate and long-term improvements in water management practices.
