Controlling communications - Case Study

Florida city improves its control structures with SCADA

Florida has been directly struck by 110 hurricanes since 1851, making it the No. 1 state for hurricane hits. Some of the most damaging hurricanes in U.S. history have developed in the Gulf of Mexico because its warm ocean water makes it a prime area for hurricane formation. Like many cities in Florida, Palm Coast is no stranger to hurricanes and tropical storms. These storms endanger the water supply and the crews that have to prepare 54 miles of canals for heavy rainfall.

The storm water division of Palm Coast has plenty of tasks to complete in preparation for a hurricane. One of those tasks used to be removing stop logs from canal control structures. Removing the stop logs allowed the canals to drain, making room for the anticipated rainfall, but required crews to go out in dangerous conditions. In the past several years, Palm Coast has added electrically actuated gates on many structures as a means to control the canals remotely based on projected rainfall.

Room for Improvement

The city had been working on making improvements to its control structures over the past several years, and found an effective and economical solution: Mission Communications’ managed SCADA system.