This year’s theme, “Connecting Innovation to Impact” focused on the economic, social, and environmental impact of smart water.

By Mathilde Guglielmi

In May 2022, the 12th Annual Conference of the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) took place as a hybrid event in beautiful Washington, DC. A UK-based non-profit, SWAN is the leading global hub for the smart water sector. After two years of virtual events, attendees were excited to mingle and learn from each other in-person. This year’s theme, “Connecting Innovation to Impact” included three days of informative workshops, high-level and technical panels, keynotes, interactive roundtables, and networking.

There were several highlights, but seven key takeaways stuck with me: (1) the need to invest in innovation, (2) smart water is for utilities of all sizes (3) the power of Data-as-a-Service to transform operations (4) the practical benefits of Digital Twins (5) removing lead is a priority, and (6) customers can become advocates, and (7) the future must be inclusive.

1. THE NEED TO INVEST IN INNOVATION

In the opening panel, George Hawkins, Founder & CEO of Moonshot Missions described how climate change exacerbates the issues that come with ageing infrastructure. As a result, the water sector must innovate in technologies that address extreme weather patterns such as floods and droughts. In her keynote, Kishia L. Powell, COO & Executive Vice President at DC Water expressed that connecting innovation to impact can allow underserved and vulnerable communities to benefit from these investments. She also stated that investing in water can help address some of the most pressing issues of our time: the global pandemic, racial injustice, economic recovery, and the climate crisis.

2. SMART WATER IS FOR UTILITIES OF ALL SIZES

Small utilities serve most of the US and digitalization can be daunting. Some common barriers include finances, limited employee skills, and a household customer culture of non-payment. Thus, most digitalization solutions are targeted toward larger utilities. However, this does not mean that smaller utilities cannot shift to a smart water system. Chris Sosnowski, CEO at Waterly & Water Click explained that to convince utilities to implement smart water, it can help to tap into their desire to provide a long-lasting legacy. On that same note, Jose Leon Jr., Director of Operations & Maintenance at a small utility, Johnson County Wastewater in Kansas emphasized that we need to instill trust in people when engaging in a digital transformation. Although utility staff may have less exposure to digital technologies, it can actually be easier to change the habits of a small organization. Furthermore, there are movements like regionalization which can assist small utilities. This involves multiple municipalities and utilities collaborating to share data, information, as well as water infrastructure (e.g. wells and wastewater infrastructure).

3. THE POWER OF DATA-AS-A-SERVICE TO TRANSFORM OPERATIONS

The Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) Workshop defined DaaS as “a partnership model in which a Technology Supplier operates and maintains certain hardware equipment (e.g., water quality sensor, flow sensor, level sensor) to collect, transmit, and process data where the utility only pays for the delivered results.” DaaS allows water utilities to shift the risks of equipment installation, data collection and transmission, and analysis to an external service provider, which delivers outcomes. There are several factors that can help determine whether a utility should implement DaaS such as an organization’s level of digitalization, average age, and willingness to try new solutions. Here are further insights from the workshop, which utilized design thinking.

4. THE PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF DIGITAL TWINS

Digital Twins enable water utilities to collect various types of data together and understand their system as a whole. A Digital Twin can be defined as “a dynamic digital representation of real-world entities and their behaviors using models with static and dynamic data that enable insights and interactions to drive actionable and improved outcomes.” As new technologies emerge, it is important to properly communicate their advantages to the public. However, the water sector must first encourage a culture that values data. It is also essential to establish standards and best practices, learn from failures, and form industry partnerships. To assist utilities in their Digital Twin journey, SWAN released a Digital Twin Readiness Guide at the event, now available to the public.

5. REMOVING LEAD IS A PRIORITY

Utilities around the world must now test many of their water service lines for lead. However, there is still a high level of uncertainty about where to look. As a result, companies such as BlueConduit, Electro Scan, and Trinnex have developed helpful data analytics solutions using sensors and machine learning to detect high-risk zones. It was surprising to hear that even if a lead is not present in a city’s water service lines, it can still reside in a customer’s home since plumbers sometimes use lead in soldering to cut costs.

6. CUSTOMERS CAN BECOME ADVOCATES

The conference provided several global examples of how utilities can incentivize customers to reduce their water consumption. For example, the Las Vegas Valley Water District pays customers to replace water-intensive turf with drought-resistant native plants. The Brazilian state water utility, CORSAN delivers several digital tools to help increase customer awareness and engagement. Customers can even use IoT technology in their home washing machines to monitor water usage. Bluefield Research also shared that some smart water technology vendors are now partnering with insurance companies to provide free leak detection sensors enabling them to detect leaks before they occur.

7. THE FUTURE MUST BE INCLUSIVE

Water connects everything; therefore, inclusion is fundamental. However, as a people-business, “we tend to discount soft skills and feelings” as stated by Emma Weisbord, Partnerships Lead at Royal HaskoningDHV Digital. Inclusivity is also about equity and diversity. As Ms. Powell explained in her keynote, “It is incumbent upon us to not only innovate but to do so in a way that closes the divide that ensures that all communities are better for the investments we make.”

Lastly, I will leave you with an inspiring quote from Siya Bashe, Director of Commercial Services at the City of Cape Town:

“Genuinely true smart water is an art, an art that you need to balance your processes, use the data you have to navigate in an appropriate way, and use your processes that are guided by regulation to achieve your ultimate goal, a masterpiece of art.”

The world is becoming smart, it is now time to reinvent our water future! Learn more about the SWAN Conference here. SWAN Members will have access to all session recordings and presentations beginning August 1st, 2022.

About the Author

Mathilde Guglielmi is a Research Analyst at SWAN.

SWAN (Smart Water Networks Forum) is a leading, global voice for the smart water sector.

It is a membership-based non-profit that brings together water utilities, solution providers, and proactive industry experts to advance the adoption of “smart,” data-driven solutions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater networks worldwide.

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