From Zero to Hydraulic Model in 48 Hours – Lessons from the GTA

At HydraLink, we pride ourselves on being adaptable, efficient, and solutions-focused — especially when faced with projects that require building hydraulic models from the ground up. Recently, while working on a small development application servicing review report in collaboration with Civica Infrastructure Inc., I had the opportunity to dive deep into Autodesk's InfoWater Pro for the first time in a while.

Although these types of assignments are more streamlined when clients already have a hydraulic model in place, that wasn't the case here. Fortunately, the project was located in the Greater Toronto Area, and the client was able to provide us with a robust geodatabase — giving us just what we needed to build a fully functional water model within a couple of days.

What Worked Well

This was my first time using InfoWater Pro, having worked extensively with the previous version (InfoWater). I was pleasantly surprised by how much smoother the model-building experience was in this updated platform. A few key improvements stood out:

• Faster Import Functionality: Significantly reduced time during initial data setup.
• More Reliable "Append Node" Tool: Helped with network expansion without excessive manual cleanup.
• Improved Pipe Split Detection: The "Locate/Fix Pipe Split Candidates" function now produces far fewer errors.
• Robust Demand Allocation: Not a single instance of unassigned demand — something that previously required extra troubleshooting.

Unexpected Challenges

No project is without its hiccups. During the build, I encountered an issue where existing hydrant junctions were duplicated after using the Append Node function. This created overlapping nodes and pipes that weren't easily visible in the model view. The result? Hydraulic connectivity errors that crashed the simulation run. After careful review of the process, I noticed that the order of data import into the model had an impact on the network.

These types of issues can be difficult to spot without deeper diagnostics and careful validation of your network components. It was a reminder that even with smarter tools, a sharp eye and sound QA practices remain essential.

Overall, I'm impressed with the improvements in InfoWater Pro — it made building from scratch far more seamless than before. For firms or municipalities considering an upgrade or new model development, it may be worth exploring the benefits of the Pro version.