A new white paper shows how water utilities can transform the efficiency and reliability of their operations with smart water solutions. Xylem’s white paper, “The Smarter Water Manager”, shares best practice from London, Milan and Singapore.
Major changes are underway in the water industry, driven by an urgent need to tackle complex water challenges. These include water scarcity, extreme weather patterns, and aging or overly stressed infrastructure.
Amid growing pressure to do more with less, utilities are expected to invest $14 billion in smart water technologies through 2024. Water managers are now using smart water solutions to reduce energy consumption, mitigate unnecessary water losses and optimize advanced asset management.
How water utilities can transition to smart water
In order to help guide an educate water managers in the transition to smart water, Xylem has published a new white paper: The Smarter Water Manager – Smart Water Solutions for a Resilient Water Future.
“Our hope is that this white paper will equip water managers with the information they need to drive step-changes in the management of their operations,” says Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem. “We want to help them confidently shift resources from far more expensive emergency interventions to data-driven, preventative maintenance. Unlocking these resources on a macro scale will enable water and wastewater managers to better meet the needs of their growing customer base.”
The white paper discusses the current state of the smart water industry in Europe and the future of smart water technologies and applications. The publication also explains Xylem’s end-to-end smart water platform. Case studies from London, Milan, the Netherlands and Singapore illustrate how smart water solutions – even when adopted gradually – can dramatically improve the productivity of operations and help utilities address the issue of water affordability.
Addressing growing water challenges with new solutions
“The challenges facing water managers are significant and mounting, from soaring non-revenue water rates, to the prevalence of contaminants and rising energy costs,” Decker says. “Smart water solutions hold the potential to address these challenges and fundamentally shift the economics of water management.”
Smart water solutions can deliver many benefits to water utilities. These include:
- Safety: Increased safety and control throughout water and wastewater operations.
- Operational costs: Reduced energy and maintenance costs throughout the distribution network.
- Resilience: Identify, predict and prevent failures and downtime in critical equipment.
- Flexibility: Increased flexibility to handle different situations (e.g. volumes, parameters) with existing infrastructure.
A recognized expert in smart water management
Earlier this year, Xylem was recognized as Water Technology Company of the Year at the Global Water Awards, singled out for its “unparalleled vision to offer end-to-end solutions for the digital utility of the 21st century.”
The company’s recent acquisitions of Pure Technologies, EmNet and Valor Water Analytics were each noted for strengthening Xylem’s suite of solutions to address non-revenue water, smart water, and wastewater network assessment and management.