The Challenge
The City of Beckley, in a mountainous area of West Virginia, suffers from drainage issues on its low-lying streets as well as sewer capacity issues during wet weather. Roadway flooding occurred 4−5 times a yearcausing risk to citizens and damage to property and infrastructure. A cost-effective solution was needed to reduce flooding volume andfrequency, enhance water quality of downstream waterways, andimprove public safety with real-time monitoring and alerts.
The Results
CMAC has successfully achieved its objectives in mitigating floods, improving water quality,and enhancing public safety. Community benefits include:
- Reduces roadway flooding of the downstream intersection which services 25,000 vehicles a day.
- Provides early warning notifications to First Responders when the area may be at risk of flooding.
- Provides a cost-effective solution to the ratepayers.
- Helps with strategic planning of future infrastructure upgrades.
- Protects the stream channel and the natural environment so the community has better water quality in the future.
The Solution
Two stormwater detention ponds were transformed using Continuous Monitoring and Adaptive Control (CMAC) in partnership with Beckley Sanitary Board and Thrasher Engineering. CMAC integrates information directly from field deployed sensors with real-timeweather forecast data to directly monitor performance and make automated and predictive control decisions to actively manage stormwater storage and flows across the watershed. Opti continuously modulates an 18−inch control valve based on water level and precipitation forecast.
