The advent of personal computers in the early 1980s helped MWY to develop new methods for creating and improving water treatment and distribution systems. Thanks to sophisticated hydraulic-modeling software, we now use complex mathematical equations to rapidly and accurately determine how a system design will function even before it is built.

The MWY staff takes advantage of this technology to determine water movement within a system, predicting required capacities for its every element and identifying potential weaknesses. This saves both time and money, eliminating problems before they can occur. Hydraulic modeling also is invaluable for fire-flow analysis, facility sizing, engineering design, demand projections and long-range studies.

MWY has long been a leader in the use of leading-edge modeling software packages such as KyPipe, TDHnet and H2ONET. We also are able to seamlessly integrate into our models base maps created in AutoCAD, creating easily understood visual representations of systems and models ­ for internal use, client consultation and public presentations.

Modeling for Three Cities' Needs

To economically and effectively meet the rapidly growing water needs of the cities of Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista, MWY was contracted to create a hydraulic model of the Beaver Water District transmission and distribution systems serving those communities. The cities are served from a set of high-service pumps drawing water from Beaver Lake.

The model of this complex system included analysis of 4,437 pipes, totaling 610 miles of water lines, 11 elevated storage tanks, five underground storage tanks, five pump stations and four metering stations.

The study was used to identify deficiencies in the system and to evaluate various operating scenarios to determine the most effective way to operate the combined system for the three cities.