This case study examines how WaterGEMS® for ArcGIS was used to model a small public water system located in Rebersburg, Pennsylvania. WaterGEMS® is a Haestad Methods program that is used to model water distribution systems. Unlike other water modeling programs, WaterGEMS® was designed to fully integrate with ArcGIS. This feature enables the program to take full advantage of the large amount of GIS data that is commonly available for many communities across the United States. In the case of Rebersburg, base mapping from the Centre County GIS Department, USGS Digital Elevation Models (DEMS) from the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA), and survey data from the existing Rebersburg water system was used to quickly and easily create a model of the water system. A properly designed water model can offer many benefits, such as the ability to accurately predict water pressures for future water extensions, optimize the location of new water storage facilities, identify critical deficiencies within the distribution system, and identify the amount of water that is available for fire protection. The water model created for Rebersburg has proven to be an effective tool at managing the existing water system as well as planning for future needs.
Mr. Rowe heads the GIS Division at HRG, which specializes in developing and maintaining GIS applications for municipalities, counties, authorities, and other agencies and organizations using ArcView, Arc/Info and other ESRI products. His GIS experience extends from municipal, county, and regional applications to utility, Emergency-911, floodplain, and environmental uses. He has B.A. in Geography from Mansfield University with over 14 years experience in the profession. Before coming to HRG, he served Union County for 8 ˝ years where he created the Union County GIS Department in 1994. He remained there as the GIS Manager until his departure to HRG in 1998