Rapid City Phase II Utility Master Plan

Rapid City is a rapidly growing city in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Burns & McDonnell is preparing a comprehensive upgrade to the City’s Utility Master Plan.

Phase I completed a comprehensive information technology (IT) needs assessment and implementation plan. The plan concluded Rapid City needs not only a geographic information system (GIS) and master plan, but also an improved data management approach. Burns & McDonnell is putting in place a dynamic set of processes to allow the city to carry out dynamic utility planning, called “Always Planning.” This includes seven core business processes:

1. A hydraulic modeling process for water and wastewater utilities
2. Customer data integration with the hydraulic models
3. A process to collect and track the closed-circuit television (CCTV) pressure testing and condition assessment data
4. A process to integrate future growth projections and land use with hydraulic modeling
5. A process to integrate new development data into utility mapping
6. A process to update the utility data after repairs and maintenance
7. A process that allows development of capital improvement projects based on accurate models and sound growth projections

Phase II, now under way, includes:

• Preparing Geodatabases covering the water distribution system (including scanning all record drawings), the wastewater system (including GPS inventory of all manholes), and growth projections
• Water and wastewater flow forecasts and water rights evaluation
• Wastewater flow monitoring program, hydraulic model and master plan
• Water field testing program, hydraulic modeling and master plan
• Water and wastewater treatment evaluation and plan
• Maintenance management system
• Billing software system
• CAD standards and tools

The water system includes eight main service levels and several smaller reduced pressure zones served through PRVs to provide adequate pressures across a mountainous service area. Water supply facilities include infiltration galleries, deep wells and a surface reservoir water treatment plant. The Rapid City water distribution and wastewater collection models use the latest software (InfoWater and InfoSewer by MWH-Soft) fully integrated with the comprehensive GIS system prepared by Burns & McDonnell. Water demands are projected and assigned for modeling using GIS tools applied to existing metered use, existing and future land use maps, and planned water use criteria.