eHT is currently providing planning, design and construction services for the City of Sweetwater to support the ongoing development and implementation of the City’s Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). The City requested that a CIP plan be developed to consolidate current and future infrastructure needs for its water, wastewater and storm water systems, in order to efficiently prioritize necessary short- (2-3 years), medium- (5-8 years) and long-term (10-20 years) infrastructure improvements within the City’s funding capabilities. eHT has worked with the City to develop the initial CIP plan, implement proposed projects as needed, and update the City’s CIP plan on an annual basis to address changes in infrastructure needs, responses to recent drought conditions, and responses to changes in regulatory requirements.  To meet these needs a GIS based digital model was developed by eHT in coordination with City staff.  The model includes 616,985 linear feet of pipe ranging from 1-inch to 30-inch and utilizes Innovyze InfoWaterSA Suite, Version 1.0.

The advantages of utilizing the distribution system model include optimizing daily operations, more advanced analysis performed for proposed improvements to ensure feasibility, identifying unknown inefficiencies and weak-points in the system, and evaluating solutions for common problems such as excessive water age.  A thorough hydraulic study sought to create design alternatives that would allow decentralization of the pressure zone into multiple planes while maximizing the use of existing infrastructure.