Due to this complexity — including the expense of treating contaminants of emerging concern — modular water or wastewater treatment systems are increasingly proving to be a viable solution. Packaged in a single factory-built unit, the modularity of these systems open pathways for municipalities that expect to grow and have developed master plans to accommodate future needs with scalable treatment facilities. Not only do these packaged systems offer much-needed capacity, they can also be deployed for specialized treatment at existing facilities.

Though modular systems may check many of the boxes for budget-conscious managers of public water utilities and industrial plants, the task of integrating them into larger treatment facilities can present significant challenges from an electrical, instrumentation and controls (EI&C) perspective.

Differences in power requirements, control interfaces and proprietary communication protocols demand careful planning and coordination to achieve seamless integration and reliable long-term performance. Often, these tasks must be executed within short time windows, leaving little flexibility for dealing with unexpected challenges.

Incorporating supplier-based systems with proven treatment processes certainly minimizes time required for field installations. However, careful upfront planning and engineering will be required to deliver power to the unit and tie in the communications system needed for data interfaces with plant control systems.

Planning and engineering should begin well before these black box units are delivered. This is essential to gaining an understanding of how much load the systems will add to the plant’s power infrastructure. This early look will be critical in developing specifications for procurement of additional power equipment that will be needed, ranging from transformers, breakers and switches to cabling and other components. Many of these items typically require long lead times for delivery.

Upfront engineering is needed to ensure that instrumentation data from the packaged system is validated, presented consistently in the plant SCADA system and aligned with established operating practices. This includes confirming that sensors are properly calibrated, alarms are meaningful and actionable, and critical process conditions such as membrane performance are visible to operators in a way that supports reliable day-to-day operation.

Control systems are the other half of the assignment. The upfront engineering will need to focus on understanding how sensors and other monitoring devices feed into plant controls and warning systems. Integrating controls, power networks and sensors all combine to add complexity to the addition of a modular treatment system with existing plant operations.

A range of qualitative analysis algorithms must be run to test equipment instrumentation to verify that sensors are monitoring the correct inputs from treatment flow. If variances are detected, the analysis will point the way toward next steps that must be taken. For example, are the sensors calibrated to detect whether the nanofiltration membranes are reaching a point where minute particles are collecting at a rate that could potentially clog the system? Extensive testing and analysis can tune the sensors to provide the data needed to stay ahead of such potential issues.

For one Colorado utility facing a need to accommodate various raw water sources, advanced treatment technologies from multiple vendors were required to meet new water quality and supply goals.

During the utility’s due diligence review, multiple vendors brought in proven, packaged systems, including their own proprietary control platforms and equipment standards.

The utility already had well-established control system standards that had been implemented across all its facilities to simplify operations, maintenance, and long-term reliability. Aligning expectations for standardized controls with those integrated within vendor-supplied systems quickly became one of the project’s central challenges. In many cases, bringing the packaged systems into full compliance with the utility’s standards would have introduced significant additional cost and schedule impacts.

A highly collaborative approach among the utility, vendors and the engineering team helped bridge this gap. Together, we developed a strategy that preserved the integrity of the vendor-supported systems while ensuring long-term compatibility with the client’s plantwide control philosophy. By focusing on the underlying hardware, communications infrastructure and interface capabilities, the design team established a foundation that allows the utility to bring these systems into full alignment with its standards at a later phase when warranty constraints no longer limit modifications.

This balanced approach allowed the project to move forward efficiently while maintaining a clear path for future system enhancements. More importantly, it illustrates a broader reality: Integrating multiple packaged treatment technologies into existing plant operations requires both technical depth and flexible problem-solving. With thoughtful planning and strong coordination, complex EI&C challenges can be transformed into opportunities for long-term operational consistency.

There are a number of advantages for adding treatment capacity through packaged, modular systems. Still, a common pattern is increasingly emerging: Packaged treatment systems often are designed with customized controls that do not automatically align with the utility’s established standards.

The experience from the Colorado project illustrates that certain challenges can be resolved with a balanced strategy that focuses on phased alignment of controls and systems at a pace that meets multiple goals.

Early discussions with qualified IE&C engineers can help utilities and large industries stay ahead of this curve and avoid a situation no one wants — the degradation of water quality.