Water Treatment

Establishes the structural backbone of the treatment plant in IFS Cloud EAM: site, treatment train, unit process and equipment position held as a Functional Object hierarchy, with serialised rotating and repairable equipment registered as Serial Objects and buried mains as Linear Assets. Every object is scored for criticality from likelihood of failure and consequence of failure, and that score drives maintenance strategy, work order priority and spare stocking. All downstream PM, CBM, corrective and shutdown processes in the plant inherit this structure.

Covers the full reactive and corrective loop at a treatment plant: an operator or a condition alert raises a Fault Report against a Functional Object, maintenance screens and prioritises it against criticality and permit risk, a Work Order is planned, materials and crew are secured, the job is executed under permit and isolation, and the Work Order is closed with failure cause, labour and cost captured. This history is what makes the PM programme tunable and feeds the AWWA corrective versus planned maintenance indicators.

The plant thickens, digests, dewaters and dispatches wastewater solids, with each stage operated to a target dry solids and volatile solids destruction performance and recorded in IFS Cloud against the process Functional Objects. Where anaerobic digestion is used, the digestate produced at a water resource recovery facility is biosolids, and its quantity, quality and destination must be tracked to the point of offtake. Polymer and conditioning chemical consumption, cake production and haulage movements are captured so cost per tonne and compliance evidence are available.

Runs the POTW obligation to inspect and sample industrial users to determine compliance with pretreatment standards, independent of information supplied by the users themselves. Industrial users are held as Functional Objects with their discharge permits as controlled Documents, the inspection cycle is scheduled through Maintenance Plans, and each visit is executed as a Work Order with sampling results captured as Measurement / Parameter readings. Findings roll up into the Pretreatment Program Annual Report, which is a Phase 2 electronic report under the NPDES eRule.

Defines and runs the time and usage based PM programme for the plant rotating fleet - raw water and transfer pumps, sludge pumps, aeration blowers, mixers, centrifuges and screens - using IFS Cloud Maintenance Plans and PM Actions against the Functional Object hierarchy. PM Actions generate Work Orders on a calendar or running-hours trigger, are resourced and released to crews, and feed completion history back for interval tuning. The programme is the main lever on the planned maintenance ratio that AWWA benchmarks across water and wastewater utilities.

Runs the scheduled calibration and loop verification programme for the plant instrument estate - flow meters, level transmitters, pressure transmitters, chlorine residual, turbidity, pH, DO and ammonia analysers - as PM Actions in IFS Cloud that generate Work Orders on a regulatory or risk-based interval. As-found readings are recorded as Measurements against the instrument object, compared to tolerance, and as-left readings captured after adjustment, giving the traceable calibration record that permit reporting and quality audits depend on.

Manages the electrical maintenance programme for switchgear, MCCs, transformers, VFDs, motors, standby generators and UPS across the treatment plant, driven from IFS Cloud PM Actions against the Functional Object hierarchy. Intervals are set from equipment condition, criticality and operating environment as NFPA 70B requires, and inspection, thermographic survey and electrical test results are recorded as Measurements so deficiencies convert into corrective Work Orders. All work is gated behind LOTO and a permit to work.

Plant operators execute structured inspection rounds on IFS Cloud mobile, recording readings against Measurement / Parameter points defined on Functional Objects and raising Fault Reports for any defect found in the field. Rounds are driven by round-based Maintenance Plans / PM Actions that generate a recurring Work Order and Work Tasks per plant area, replacing paper clipboards and spreadsheet logsheets. Captured readings build a condition history that feeds trending, condition-based PM triggers and the shift log.

The gas handling train and combined heat and power plant that convert digester biogas into electricity and heat are maintained under running-hours based PM regimes in IFS Cloud, with gas quality and engine condition data captured as Measurement / Parameter readings. Biogas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide and is normally cleaned of moisture and trace contaminants before use, so gas conditioning assets carry their own PM and consumable regimes. Planned CHP outages are coordinated with the digestion process so gas can be diverted or flared safely without losing digester stability.

Establishes a routed, evidence-based lubrication programme for the rotating plant that keeps a treatment works running - influent and transfer pumps, aeration blowers, mixers, gearboxes, screens and dewatering centrifuges. In IFS Cloud the programme is built as PM Actions against each Functional Object, carrying the lubricant Inventory Part as a material requirement and the required competency, generating Work Orders on calendar or runtime criteria. Completed routes and oil analysis results are recorded as measurements so lubrication compliance and lubricant consumption can be trended.

Provides the routine, scheduled proof that each chemical dosing point is actually delivering the dose the process controller thinks it is - coagulant, polymer, hypochlorite, caustic, orthophosphate and carbon source. In IFS Cloud a calendar-based PM Action generates a verification Work Order against the dosing skid Functional Object, and the drawdown or mass-balance result is recorded as a Measurement against the dosing point and evaluated against its control limits. Out-of-limit results drive a follow-up work order for pump calibration or repair, giving the plant a traceable dosing accuracy record for permit reporting.

Moves high-criticality plant assets off fixed-interval PM and onto condition. Vibration, bearing temperature, motor current, pump efficiency and seal condition are captured as Measurements against the Functional or Serial Object in IFS Cloud, evaluated against alarm and alert limits, and used to raise a corrective Work Order only when the asset condition warrants it. IFS positions predictive maintenance as a data and sensor driven forecast of equipment failure before it occurs, so the utility reduces unplanned downtime and extends asset life.

Plans and delivers the periodic outage of a treatment train, digester, clarifier, filter bank or major pumping station where the plant must stay in permit compliance while an asset is out of service. Scope is built from deferred corrective work, condition findings and statutory inspections, held as a Maintenance Event with linked Work Orders and managed against a Project with Project Activities for schedule and cost. Long-lead materials, contractors and bypass arrangements are secured before the shutdown window is approved.

The plant baselines energy consumption by process area, identifies and appraises energy conservation measures, and delivers them as IFS Cloud Projects or Work Orders with measured savings tracked afterwards. Energy consumption is recorded against Functional Objects as Measurement / Parameter data so aeration, pumping and sludge processing loads can be attributed and trended. EPA guidance treats energy as the largest controllable cost of providing water and wastewater services, which makes this a recurring optimisation cycle rather than a one-off project.

Defines how a water or wastewater treatment plant catalogues, classifies and replenishes maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) inventory and critical spares for permit-critical assets such as raw sewage pumps, blowers, UV modules, centrifuges and dosing skids. In IFS Cloud the process is carried by Inventory Part master data with criticality-driven stocking policy, order point and safety stock planning, and automatic purchase requisition generation that feeds Procurement. It gives the plant a defensible, auditable stocking position for the equipment whose failure would put the discharge or drinking water permit at risk.

Controls the on-hand position and automatic replenishment of bulk and packaged treatment chemicals - coagulant, polymer, sodium hypochlorite, caustic, lime, ferric and carbon source - so the plant never runs a dosing point dry and never over-fills a bulk tank. In IFS Cloud each chemical is an Inventory Part held in a bulk tank inventory location with an order point and safety stock derived from dosing rate and supplier lead time, and the inventory reorder proposal creates purchase requisitions against the contracted supplier. Certification status under NSF/ANSI/CAN 60 is carried on the part where the chemical contacts drinking water.

Governs the controlled receipt, unloading, segregated storage and safe handling of treatment chemicals at a water or wastewater works, from tanker pre-notification through to certificate of analysis filing and incident logging. In IFS Cloud the process is anchored on the Purchase Order receipt into a designated inventory location, with the supplier certificate of analysis and current Safety Data Sheet held as Documents and any spill or off-spec delivery raised as a Case. It exists to protect operators from the hazards that OSHA hazard communication and process safety management rules address, and to keep only certified, in-specification chemical in the plant.

Tracks every batch of biosolids from the dewatering plant through analysis, haulage and final land application, landfill or incineration, with the monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting evidence the federal sewage sludge rule requires. In IFS Cloud the batch is carried as an Inventory Part with a lot reference, the haulier is a Supplier under a Supplier Agreement, and each consignment is recorded as a shipment against an approved destination. The process exists because 40 CFR Part 503 is self-implementing - the requirements apply whether or not a permit has been issued.

Turns the NPDES permit monitoring matrix into a repeatable, auditable sampling cycle inside IFS Cloud. Outfall and process sampling points are modelled as Functional Objects with Maintenance Plans that generate scheduled Work Orders, and analytical values are captured as Measurement / Parameter readings with chain-of-custody evidence held in Document Management. Validated results become the single source of truth feeding DMR preparation and exceedance response.

Assembles validated effluent monitoring data held as Measurement / Parameter readings into the periodic Discharge Monitoring Report, applies permit-defined statistics, routes it for certification by a duly authorised representative, and evidences electronic submission. Under the EPA NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule the DMR is filed through NetDMR or a state eDMR system and flows into ICIS-NPDES. IFS Cloud holds the underlying data, the approval trail and the archived submission receipt as controlled Documents.

Delivers plant upgrades, new treatment trains and network renewals from approved business case through commissioning to asset handover and capitalisation. IFS positions an integrated project and asset lifecycle for capital asset managers in Energy, Utilities and Resources, so the scheme is run as an IFS Cloud Project with a WBS of Project Activities carrying budget, commitments and progress, while procurement is executed through Purchase Orders against Suppliers. Handover creates or updates the Functional Objects, Maintenance Plans and documentation that the operations and maintenance processes then depend on.

Controls modifications to treatment chemicals, technology, equipment and operating procedures so that no change reaches start-up without technical review, authorisation, updated documentation and trained staff. OSHA process safety management requires written procedures to manage such changes other than replacements in kind, and requires affected operating, maintenance and contract employees to be informed and trained before start-up. In IFS Cloud the MOC is raised as a Case, implemented through a Work Order, and evidenced by updated controlled Documents and Functional Object master data.

Wraps a safe system of work around every wet well, digester, clarifier and pipe gallery intervention at the plant. Work preparation screens each Work Task for permit-required confined space entry, hazardous energy and hot work exposure, then issues the corresponding permits before execution and closes them on return to service. In IFS Cloud the permits attach to the Work Order and Work Task against the Functional Object, competency is checked against Employee qualification records, and the completed permits are retained as evidence Documents.