Emergency Water Distribution Unit (EWDU) - SCG Process

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Are You Prepared to Distribute Water During a Major Emergency?

With increasing natural disasters, powerful storms, and infrastructure challenges, the question is no longer “if” water distribution system failures will happen, but “when.” Water utility providers responsible for emergency planning now have an essential tool for quick response: the Emergency Water Distribution Unit™ (EWDU) from SCG Process.

Designed as a mobile water distribution station, the EWDU enables the rapid filling and dispensing of thousands of 5-liter water bags, while also offering the flexibility to fill containers of various sizes manually. This system is built for efficient, large-scale water distribution in emergency situations.

Collaboratively developed with municipal emergency response teams, the EWDU is engineered for rapid deployment, ease of operation, and rugged reliability, ensuring crews can operate efficiently even under high-stress conditions. With modular construction and comprehensive equipment, the EWDU is a vital asset for emergency response efforts.

Next-Generation Capabilities

  • Operationally simple, rugged, and reliable design and construction with emphasis on ergonomic usability to ensure efficient operation during deployments.
  • Designed, refined, and tested in collaboration with water utility emergency response teams, enabling rapid operational familiarity and easier training.
  • Multiple push-button water filling stations feature auto-shutoff fill taps to help keep public lines moving efficiently.
  • Auto-dispensing fill taps measure precisely 5 liters of water to rapidly fill each of 10,000 reusable 5L water bags stored inside the unit.
  • Automated chlorine residual dosing system maintains system cleanliness and prolonged safety of dispensed bagged water removed, stored, and consumed by the public.
  • Backflow shut off valves prevent contamination and external tampering of water distribution system.
  • Pressure-reducing valve ensures flexible connections with multiple water sources, including hydrants, water tanks, tanker trucks, and water storage bladders.
  • All equipment required for deployment, operation, and maintenance during an emergency is included within the unit — bags, hoses, fittings, pumps, tools, and crowd management and public safety gear including high-vis safety vests, area lighting, directional signage, and traffic control cones.

Utility Success Story

Serving approximately 430,000 people across 13 municipalities in southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands with water services, the CRD’s emergency preparedness plan identifies the regional district’s Greater Victoria area as having the highest “seismic susceptibility” risk. A major challenge in the aftermath of a natural disaster, where the local water infrastructure has been crippled or destroyed, involves somehow providing vital drinking water to thousands of people in need. “Our emergency preparedness plan will already be swinging into action immediately following a seismic event. It includes a series of shutdown and isolation procedures involving our large-diameter steel water transmission mains, and deploying critical spare parts and specialized repair couplings that we keep warehoused specifically for our critical watermains,” says Shayne Irg. “Our emergency response now includes new custom-built emergency water-distribution units capable of distributing drinking water to large numbers of people located anywhere across our region, and delivering that life-sustaining water within hours,” adds Irg.

Large Capacity Units

A stationary Emergency Water Distribution Unit version based on a highly modified intermodal shipping container is available to be built to customer specifications. The stationary EWDU model features the same water-dispensing equipment and public side-access design as the mobile EWDU model, but offers greater interior space and more filling stations.
Considered semi-permanent but transportable when loaded aboard a flat-deck truck trailer, the stationary EWDU enables pre-positioning the larger units to serve areas of high anticipated water demand following an emergency event.

Emergency Water Filtration System

Designed to operate in tandem with a deployed EWDU, the Emergency Water Filtration of nearby lakes and rivers in situations or locations where the local water distribution infrastructure is damaged or unavailable.

The self-contained EWFS includes an onboard generator, water-feed suction pumps, all hoses and consumables, and a bladder tank for external water storage prior to EWDU public water distribution. All filtration, chemical dosing system, automation equipment, and sensors are built in and the standard 3 micron cartridge filter system is upgradable to meet higher levels of filtration needs by adding additional filtration and disinfection technologies.

Public Outreach, Goodwill and Regional Training

Emergency Water Distribution Units are ideal for participating in regional collaboration and joint training events focused on sharing emergency preparedness advancements, knowledge, and skills with technical and operational staff from neighboring municipalities, agencies, and water utilities.

EWDUs also help enhance public awareness of regional emergency preparedness plans, demonstrate a proactive commitment to public safety and public health, and help create a visible and recognizable element of public outreach campaigns, community disaster-plan drills, and preparedness events.

Built and Supported by Water Experts

A half-century of SCG Process water industry experience engineering and building solutions ranging from large municipal treatment plants to small and remote systems is distilled in the design, construction, unit service, and parts & supplies support of the SCG Process EWDU — the industry standard for Emergency Water Distribution Units.

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