The two objectives of this paper are: to demonstrate how less conservative approaches involving calculated risks can open the door to innovative, cost effective, and extremely functional projects; and describe how the controls for two new water treatment plants were integrated into the design of a new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. Water quality problems in the rapidly growing City of Coon Rapids made it necessary to not only increase supply but also build two iron and manganese removal plants. At the same time, an aging Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System had to be replaced. City staff had two major concerns. The first was the acceptance of the new system by the existing work force with respect to both learnability and user friendly functionality. The second was reducing the estimated costs of the projects. City staff decided that a less conservative approach to the projects had the potential for saving hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time providing a state of the art efficient system. In the end, the calculated risks paid off.