In 1970 when it was first installed, it was state-of-the-art. The Foxboro Control Console (nicknamed “Big Blue”) measured over 20 feet long and weighed in at over 1,000 pounds. Its switches, dials and analog technology were used to monitor and control the Lake Ontario Water Treatment Plant operation, including rudimentary telephone interconnections with the Raw [...]
This week, May 6 - 12, OCWA – Central New York’s Water Authority and other water professionals across the country are celebrating National Drinking Water Week. In 1988, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) first proposed Drinking Water Week and formed a coalition along with the League of Women Voters, the Association of State Drinking [...]
At a recent awards breakfast hosted by the American Water Works Association-New York Section (AWWA-NY) in Saratoga Springs, OCWA--Central New York's Water Authority--was honored to receive the 2018 Safety Award in recognition of its "outstanding initiative in the area of safety improvement and injury prevention." Among the specific safety initiatives referenced in the awards package [...]
GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, are used daily by people across almost every industry. Whether it involves obtaining driving directions or doing an internet search for nearby restaurants, GIS queries data associated with geographic locations within a user-defined radius to make information more accessible and practical. Recently, OCWA expanded its GIS capabilities by hiring a [...]
In parts 1 and 2 of our series about how OCWA helps protect Central New York residents from fires, we discussed our ongoing communication and coordination with local fire departments, as well as our proactive program of inspecting and maintaining the 14,000+ fire hydrants in our five-county service territory. As the conclusion of our series, [...]
Next in our series of articles about how OCWA helps protect Central New York residents from fire is a summary of our Hydrant Inspection Program. Did you know that OCWA has over 14,000 fire hydrants in our five-county service territory? As a public water system, we are responsible for maintaining and collecting information on all [...]
Water is a vital component of our daily lives – we consume it every day, but we also need it for our safety during emergencies such as fires. To illustrate how OCWA helps protect people against fire emergencies, we are happy to bring you a three-part series that covers: 1) how we communicate with local [...]
By Alan Lorenzo Contreras One of the most visible and important groups of employees at OCWA is our dedicated Meter Reading staff. Every weekday this seven-person crew fans out across OCWA’s five-county service territory to ensure that our customers' water meters are read timely and with a high level of accuracy. The Meter Reading staff [...]
Will Bianchini, a systems analyst and licensed drone operator with OCWA--Central New York’s Water Authority, recently presented to a standing room only meeting of the American Public Works Association's Central Branch chapter about OCWA's success in integrating its Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program with its Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities to modernize public utility operations. [...]
Over the past decade, OCWA has re-invested over $132 million in its five-county water system on strategic capital improvement projects. The projects have helped reduce water leakage, improve system efficiency and prevent costly disruptions in service for our 500,000+ consumers. This proactive initiative continues in 2018, as OCWA plans to spend at least $13 million [...]
