A recent article in the September 2015 issue of Water Technology Magazine entitled The Internet of everything (even water) by Dave Eifert attracted my attention. It discussed how cloud-based monitoring, using the Internet of Things (IoT) can benefit the water industry.
The reason it was of interest, beyond the pure technology aspect, was that the water district which I am a “director emeritus” is embracing similar technology.
Dave notes five issues facing the water industry. This new technology has applications in all of these areas.
- Retiring personnel –reducing workforce and taking important knowledge with time [lack of continuity]
- Reduced funding
- Increasing regulations
- Drought
- Strategies to overcome water scarcity (such as reuse)
He further notes:
“With potentially fewer people to complete more complex work, looking to new technologies and service-delivery models to accomplish peripheral tasks makes sense. With this technology, water treatment professionals can focus on the main task [supplying clean, potable water]. …
IoT [Internet of Things] is new technology and a new service-delivery model that makes in-the-field devices smart and allows them to provide near real-time information to end users anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.”
Smart meters and the “cloud” allow for faster acquisition and analysis of data. Dave uses the example of chlorine residual at the end of an existing distribution system. However, I would like to present a more critical issue which, in my opinion, impacts far more global water suppliers. It is especially relevant to smaller water supply systems.
As I have noted in numerous blogs, availability of clean potable water is critical to our survival as a species. Only about 7% of the water on Earth is fresh water in the first place; the rest is brackish or salt water, unusable by humans [in that state]. It stands to reason that water is one of our most precious resources.
As drought continues to encroach upon the western United States, the availability of clean, fresh water diminishes. More users with less water creates major challenges for both small and large water suppliers. California is an excellent example of the impact of major drought across all segments of society from homeowners to farmers.
Because of scarcity, the use of water in the western United States has become a complex regulatory nightmare. This is especially true of the states of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Arizona. These states depend upon one supply, the Colorado River, as their major source of water. It should be noted that the headwaters of this mighty river is also the state with the same name. As an aside, it is estimated that 70% of the practicing water lawyers in the United States reside in my home state of Colorado. Clearly, the reason for the predominance of water lawyers is they want to be close to the source of supply.
There is both a legal [having the right to use available water] and a physical [is there water actually in the river] component to water in the states using the Colorado River basin. For example, there was a newspaper article several years ago about a rancher in Southern Colorado. He had the first priority [the number one legal right to use any water in the stream]. However, as shown on the photograph with the article, the stream was completely dry. The opposite can happen; the stream or reservoir can be full but if you have a very low legal priority you might not get any physical water. During droughts in Colorado, water becomes almost unobtainable at any price.
So how can these smart meters, IoT and the “cloud” be used to help with the challenge of scarcity? Two specific uses come to mind. While similar in purpose, these two uses function differently in the water supply scheme.
The first use is by the water supplier. Having more data faster allows the water supplier to operate the water infrastructure with increased efficiency. These increased efficiencies can be seen in everything from billing the consumers for water used to the physical operation of valves and fire hydrants. Technology can be used, as noted by Dave Eifert, to monitor such things as chlorine residuals to keep the water in the system safer. It can also be used to make sure all areas of the supply system have the correct pressure and availability of water or to detect high flows in the water mains or even customers homes.
In addition, using these smart meters and the “cloud” allows the water supplier to take advantage of newer and more efficient computer technology to monitor the water supply system in less time. This is an extremely valuable benefit for the majority of small water supply systems, such as the one I am involved with, as it saves time and effort for the very small staff involved with operating and monitoring the system on a daily basis. We use Badger Meters and National Meter and Automation, Inc. as our suppliers for the hardware and software technology.
The second, and more important, use is the identification of leaks in the system. This can manifest itself by a drop in pressure in a length of line, or an increased flow rate through a house meter. Leaks, which often do not show up on the surface of the ground can be discovered by flow and pressure data sensors in the metering system itself.
Leaks in the supply system take on increasing importance during a drought. The scarcer the resource, the more valuable it becomes. Conserving the amount of water which is available to your water supply system becomes critical, especially to small districts like the one I am involved with.
It’s obvious that fewer leaks in a water supply system makes more water available for consumers for a multitude of uses including drinking, cooking and even fire and wild fire protection. If the staff has more data, faster, then leaks can be detected sooner. This is the significant benefit to installing and using these “smart meters” and the “cloud.”
However, there is a more important benefit across the system. Using these new IoT systems, not only the water supplier staff can get the data, but the consumer can as well. Using a simple cell phone “app” or a laptop or desktop computer, the individual consumer can check usage on a daily or even hourly basis. They can even use email or text alerts to be notified when usage exceeds a certain rate. In effect, there are more “eyes” monitoring the system.
If the consumer is interested in saving money, they can monitor their own water use on a daily or weekly basis with these cloud-based systems. As more consumers monitor their water use, it takes the strain off the staff of water supplier. Consumers, as they monitor their usage, will typically notice unusually high flows and request help from the supplier. Leaks will be detected sooner, and repaired with less water loss to the system and cost to the consumer. The entire water supply system and all of the customers are the beneficiaries.
Understanding how critical water is to humans and our planet is the reason that I wrote my books about water. They are available on Amazon in downloadable digital format. Understanding Water Rights and Conflicts, Second Edition explains in easy to understand language the concepts and challenges of supplying a scarce resource to an increasing population. Understanding Water and Terrorism explains how vulnerable our water supply system is to disruption from not only humans but also natural events, such as earthquakes, and hurricanes.
As you can see, there is a significant benefit to using the “IoT” and the “cloud” to monitor and manage our water supply systems. As the small district I am involved with found out, the process of implementing new technology is challenging and expensive. But in the end, it is very rewarding for all water users involved.
We all need to think and act as if water is our most precious resource, because in reality, it is.
Sincerely,
H. Court Young
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