Generally, water treatment plant (WTP) SCADA systems report many parameters, of
which the vast majority are not utilized or viewed unless it is in response to a raised
alarm. There is therefore clear benefit in developing a system that uses existing
information for pro-active management of treatment plants. This paper outlines the
development of a prototype system featuring real-time simulations, an alarm handling
facility, an instrument analyzer and "user" defined simulations. The system offers
benefits through proactive WTP operation, demanning, risk reduction, reduced
maintenance and chemical costs and as a training tool. Also discussed are factors that
may influence the implementation of such a system and also future development
possibilities. Includes 2 references, figures.