SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY (SNWA)
	SCADA Upgrade and Expansion
	SNWA provides water treatment and transmission to the communities of the greater Las Vegas Valley in Nevada.

Issue
The Las Vegas metropolitan area is among the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation. Located in a desert with barely four inches of average annual rainfall, water management is critical. To meet this growing community’s drinking water needs, SNWA initiated a multi-billion dollar capital improvement program to expand capacity from 400 MGD to over 900 MGD. To support these business requirements SNWA needed to:

• Replace their SCADA system with scalable SCADA and Telecommunications technology that could grow along with their long term expansion
• Apply a standard approach to SCADA and Telecommunications systems on numerous projects over many years
• Integrate SCADA systems over a wide geographical area
• Pursue their strategy of effective water resource management for the future of the Las Vegas Valley

Solution
Westin has been a partner in SNWA’s growth since 1991. As a key member of their CIP program team, Westin has worked closely with SNWA engineering to plan, design and implement all SCADA and Telecommunications systems that control their treatment and transmission facilities. Projects and tasks conducted as part of this program include:

• Conceptual plan to support control, information and communications systems implementation
• Standards for design, integration and implementation
• Standard project delivery methodology
• Requirements definition for SCADA interface with other business applications including hydraulic models, maintenance management, and historian
• Design services and peer review for I&C and telecommunications facility construction
• Procurement support including bid documents, construction cost estimates and bid process support, and vendor submittal review
• System configuration, programming, startup and operational testing to ensure alignment of functionality and system requirements

Outcome
Westin’s long-term partnership with SNWA has resulted in a SCADA system that is among the most expansive of its kind. Because of the approach applied, SNWA has:

• Enabled centralized and redundant control of their entire system
• Established a scalable system that has the proven ability to meet the ongoing needs for further expansion and system growth
• Standardized inventory of spare parts and streamlined staff training
• Integrated systems with a common knowledge base for efficient training and system maintenance