MWH Soft Technologists and Academic Collaborators Win AWWA Best Paper Award

Paper Judged to Represent a Significant Contribution to the Water Field

Broomfield, Colorado USA, May 2008 — MWH Soft, a leading global provider of environmental and water resources applications software, today announced that the Engineering and Construction Division of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the world’s largest organization of water professionals, will award MWH Soft scientist Dr. BongSeog Jung the Division Best Paper Award at the ACE 2008 World Water Event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, June 9.

Dr. Jung wrote the award-winning paper with MWH Soft President Dr. Paul F. Boulos, Professor Bryan W. Karney of the University of Toronto, Canada, and Professor Emeritus Don J. Wood of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. The four will be honored during the special TEC Plenary Session at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Titled “The Need for Comprehensive Transient Analysis of Distribution Systems,” the paper reviews and challenges the validity and reliability of a number of commonly used design guidelines for simplified water hammer analysis, and presents a set of warnings about the misunderstandings and dangers that can arise from such simplifications. The paper concludes that no simplified rules can provide accurate prediction of worst-case performance under all transient conditions, and that only systematic and informed water hammer analysis can be expected to resolve complex transient characterizations and adequately protect water distribution systems from the vagaries and challenges of rapid transient events.

“We are deeply humbled and honored to be selected for this distinguished award, particularly since the goal of this paper was to draw attention to a critical issue,” said Jung and Boulos. “Hydraulic transients can destroy pipelines and induce other catastrophic system failures, cause unnecessary leakage, and create serious public health risks from intrusion of contaminants into the distribution system. The potential for severe hydraulic transients should always be carefully evaluated for all water supply and distribution systems. Any careless generalization can easily lead to incorrect results, poor design and inadequate protection. We are proud to serve the waterworks industry and contribute to its advancement.”