Preserving Critical Historical Records for a Major U.S. Water District
After Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage, PVSC needed a way to protect, organize, and access decades of engineering and project documentation. ExtractIQ delivered a structured digital library that made historical records instantly usable.
- Faster access to engineering and project files
- Protection of vulnerable paper archives
- Reliable metadata for search and filtering
See how it works
You provide access. We take care of everything else.
A Water District Serving 1.5 Million People
The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) manages wastewater treatment for 1.5 million customers across 48 municipalities. With a 10year, $2B capital program underway, the organization needed reliable access to historical records to support planning, design, and construction.
- Hundreds of active and historical projects
- Hundreds of thousands of legacy files
- Documentation spread across nonintegrated systems
- Large volumes of paperonly records
When Paper Records Are at Risk, Operations Are at Risk
Superstorm Sandy caused the first full plant shutdown in PVSC’s 108year history. Many essential records existed only on paper — vulnerable to damage, loss, and inconsistent naming. Engineers, project managers, and operations staff needed fast access to drawings, photos, and submittals, but searching across dispersed locations was slow and costly.
Paper records are vulnerable
Secure and preserve records in a digital system.
Inconsistent file names & metadata
Standardize naming and metadata across all records.
Time-intensive manual searching
Find information quickly with powerful search tools.
Reliance on institutional memory
Capture knowledge so it’s accessible to everyone.
Duplicate and outdated records
Maintain a single, accurate source of truth.
Limited access to critical data
Provide secure access to data from anywhere.
A Managed Service to Capture and Organize Historical Records
PVSC selected ExtractIQ to centralize legacy documentation, extract meaningful metadata, and bulkload records into PMWeb — creating a reliable, searchable digital library.
Capture
Paper archives, scans, network
drives, and legacy systems
Organize
A structured digital library with
meaningful categories and metadata.
Activate
An AI chatbot that answers questions
using your own historical records.
From Vulnerable Paper Archives to a Secure Digital Library
01
Access & Inventory
Refinery personnel and ExtractIQ performed an initial scan across all storage locations.
02
Discovery & Analysis
Metadata summary generated in the secure ExtractIQ cloud: file types, age, duplicates, size, and more.
03
Deep Scan & Cleanup
Business specific terms (units, suppliers, dates, project names) applied to classify content.
04
Directory Creation
A clean, searchable directory linked to all files — across legacy systems, Google, and Microsoft storage
05
Refinery teams gained dashboard access to a structured digital library ready for planning and decision making
A Searchable, Structured Library for Engineering & Operations
Responses are grounded in your actual historical documents — not public data.
- Consistent metadata across all file types
- Logical structure aligned to PVSC’s operations
- Faster access to drawings, submittals, and photos
- Protection against loss of paper records
- Scales as new documents are added
Operational Benefits for a HighDemand Water District
Faster project planning and design
Access the right information early to plan with confidence.
Reduced time spent searching records
Find records quickly across all projects and systems.
Improved accuracy of historical information
Ensure records are accurate, consistent, and reliable.
Continuity despite staff turnover
Keep knowledge accessible as teams change.
Reliable access during emergencies
Access critical records anytime, anywhere.
Protection of vulnerable paper archives
Digitize and protect records from loss or damage.
Experience With Water, Wastewater, and Public Infrastructure
ExtractIQ specializes in capturing and organizing decades of engineering and operational documentation — even when stored in fragile paper formats or outdated systems.
- Managed service model
- AI assisted metadata extraction
- Deep experience with PMWeb
- Proven performance at large public utilities
Ready to Unlock the Value in Your History?
Start with a Digital History Assessment and see how your records can become a living digital asset.
Contact us