Water utilities are installing automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems more frequently. These systems often help utilities improve customer relations and provide valuable real-time data to improve operations. The ability for various meters to communicate with AMR and AMI technology has become more important as these systems become commonplace.
An estimated 90 million illnesses each year are caused by exposure to microbial contaminants in U.S. recreational waters, costing approximately $2.2- $3.7 billion in medical bills. Much of the contamination is a result of human or other animal feces getting into the water.
This month, the Bloede Dam will be removed from the Lower Patapsco River near Ilchester, Maryland. The restoration is a one-of-a-kind natural experiment that will help test how relatively inexpensive drones can help scientists like me understand the integrity of streams and rivers.
Following a disaster like the back-to-back hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico in 2017, water systems can become flooded and unable to provide safe drinking water to communities. EPA researchers recognized the need for portable water treatment systems that can quickly and cost-effectively provide safe drinking water to affected communities following a disaster.
Utility managers are continually challenged to run water systems in the most efficient manner. Reducing non-revenue water (NRW) is an important component for system efficiency. In many states, regulators are placing caps on NRW or requiring reductions in the amount of NRW. Accurate and well-planned flow measurement can be used to locate areas of water leakage and reduce NRW.
The water burbling down the hillside amid thick, green foliage, certainly looked like a stream.
As technology improves, contaminants can be measured in ever-smaller quantities. Pollutants formerly undetected are now becoming emerging contaminants of concern. Water utility managers must stay abreast of potential new regulations and plan for ways to address these contaminants.
As fresh water supplies dwindle, the use of sea water becomes more attractive. New technologies are making reverse osmosis (RO) a more effective and cost-efficient method for desalination. Utilizing an effective pretreatment system to improve the quality of the feed water traveling through the RO membranes will aid in improving the performance of your membrane system.
With data comes decision-making power, but how each utility wields that power will be different. The Smart Utility approach tailors digital capabilities to arrive at specific and optimal outcomes.
A survey of water utilities conducted by Black & Veatch reveals to what degree and how rapidly (or not) data analytics are being implemented in the real world.
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