Smart Water

Utility
Sectors	Utility
Contact	Wilfred Pinfold
Topics	Communications Networks Interfacing with City Services and Utilities Smart Grid Smart Lighting Smart Waste Smart Water Understanding Utility IoT and Smart Cities Financing Best Practices
Activities Leveraging Existing Automated Meter Reading for a Smart Alert Response Technology The City of Houston is 10,062 square miles (26,060 km²), with 6,950 miles (11,184 km) of sewer pipeline ranging in size from 6 to 144 inches (15 to 365cm) in diameter and including approximately 123,000 manholes. Houston uses the Automated Meter Reading (AMR)/Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) network for identification and mitigation of Sanitary Sewer Overflows as part of the City's system-wide operation, maintenance and management plan. Houston calls this plan AIM (Automated Infrastructure Monitoring). Non-Revenue Water Monitoring and Reduction Using Advanced LTE Communications Gwinnet County GA Install the first LTE communications base instrumentation in a pilot area and develop algorithms for understanding the elements of non-revenue water (lost water) as a means to reduce the cost of water delivery, improve management of scarce water resources, improve system operations, and save money for customers. The pilot will use advanced instrumentation with embedded LTE communications chips, such as smart water meters and pressure sensors to produce data to be used in the development of the software algorithms. Oil Gas well produced water localized treatment and recycle Coudersport Borough Eulalia Township PA USA Establish medium volume produced water treatment facilities near clusters of oil & gas well pads for localized treatment of the produced water. These facilities separate the produced water into metals for disposal, then salt for resale, and potable water for reuse or discharge to the local sanitation authority publicly owned treatment works (POTW). The facilities would be industrial waste water pre-treatment customers of the POTW. Smart Water Technologies The goal of this action cluster is to provide innovative solutions for managing drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and source water resources efficiently and effectively. The smart decisions that balance energy usage with desired water quality and quantity will be supported through the development of cloud-based analytics that is driven with the “Big Data” from distributed array of environmental sensors. These “Internet of Things (IOT)” environmental sensors will be used to both monitor and control the environment. The new data will be supplemented with the data from the existing infrastructure such as SCADA historian databases and meter data. Additional data needs will be examined carefully to reduce their impact on operations. For example, water meter data is usually collected on a daily basis to prolong the battery life whereas the same data may be needed at five-minute intervals to generate an accurate demand picture. Innovative approaches that provide additional data through low-cost sensing and citizen participation will be explored. Taoyuan City Water Resources Information System The core value of the System is to protect life and properties of people. The major purpose of developing the System is to apply technology of Smart Disaster Prevention and Internet of Things (IoT), and to build a resilient and sustainable city. Water Application Management Watering the grass is one of those activities that is usually a “set it and forget it” process. But when you have 25 million square feet of landscape under irrigation, you can’t afford to waste a single drop. In our situation 1” of overwatering can cost as much as $40,000 a year. So we set out to create a computerized “smart system” that operates with very little human intervention and is active and available at all times. This system is able to give directions to the over 456 field controller locations and receive feedback to help calibrate the system only applying what is necessary to keep the plant material healthy and thriving. There are many horticultural aspects that go into keeping landscape healthy. Of these water is among the most critical. Knowing exactly how much water to use is impossible unless you have a way to measure output and monitor system performance. We created a method to do just that. This method is controlled from a central location and can be accessed on tablets in the field.

Authors

A smart water system is a type of water management system that uses digital technology to improve the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of water management.

Smart water systems can include a variety of technologies such as sensors, data analytics, and communication networks. These systems can help to improve the collection, treatment, distribution, and management of water resources, as well as reduce the environmental impact of water management.

Examples of smart water systems include:

• Smart metering: This uses sensors to measure and monitor water usage, which can help to identify leaks, detect fraud, and improve billing accuracy.
• Smart leakage detection: This uses sensors and data analytics to detect leaks in water systems and alert repair crews to fix them before they become major problems.
• Smart irrigation: This uses sensors to monitor soil moisture and weather conditions, which can help to optimize irrigation schedules and reduce water usage.
• Smart water quality monitoring: This uses sensors to monitor water quality and detect contaminants, which can help to ensure that water is safe to drink.
• Smart water distribution: This uses data analytics to optimize water distribution and reduce the need for expensive infrastructure.

The benefits of smart water systems include:

• Improved efficiency: Smart water systems can help to improve the efficiency of water management by reducing leaks, identifying inefficiencies, and optimizing water distribution.
• Reduced costs: Smart water systems can help to reduce the costs of water management by reducing the need for expensive infrastructure, identifying inefficiencies, and detecting fraud.
• Increased sustainability: Smart water systems can help to increase the sustainability of water management by reducing water usage, detecting and preventing contamination, and reducing the environmental impact of water management.
• Better data: Smart water systems can provide data on water usage, water quality, and water distribution, which can help to inform better water management policies and strategies.
• Increased reliability: Smart water systems can help to increase the reliability of water supply by reducing leaks, providing real-time monitoring, and early detection of issues in the water distribution network.