AWWA ACE56303

The paper illustrates the advantages of managing data using an Intranet by reviewing the case study at East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). EBMUD uses its Intranet to collect all the data generated by its six water treatment plants and to create online reports. The data managed includes filter plant production, water quality analyses, filter operations, chemical inventory and usage, and other miscellaneous readings. Last year, over two hundred and eighty thousand data points were collected by an in-house developed ColdFusion application and stored in an Oracle database. Four different security levels protect the data by enabling only authorized users to change existing data or the application definitions. The Oracle control tables contain definitions of the District facilities and the data collection forms used by each facility. The forms are dynamically generated on demand based on the user's authorized security level and input variables using ColdFusion. The resulting form is populated with any existing data in the repository, and can be used to enter, review, and edit data. The Oracle tables also contain valid data ranges for different data types, which are used by the application to validate each entry with JavaScript even before submission. Other ColdFusion pages are used to retrieve and present the data in the final format used by District personnel and regulatory agencies such as the Department Of Health Services (DOHS). Management can easily review the current reports with up-to-date information from any PC with a browser with Intranet access. Over 60 reports are being generated this way every month. This information management system speeds up report generation and promotes accuracy. All current and historical reports are now available at the click of a button to every workstation in the District, saving time, paper, and money and freeing up resources all around. Includes figures.