Computer-aided management for wastewater operations and planning

Houston operates 41 wastewater treatment plants. The city is currently developing and implementing a computerized approach to managing the city's entire wastewater system. The MS-DOS based wastewater management system being implemented allows the staff to use inhouse personal computers to assess the need for collection and treatment facility improvements, to evaluate requests for service, and to manage capital and maintenance programs. Modular system architecture, coupled with early definition and collection of key critical data elements, enabled the computer system to be implemented in a series of stages. By using completed modules for facility planning, the city has already achieved large capital costs savings