Water utilities need technologies that provide smarter and more resilient ways to manage water and wastewater, says Duncan Leathley, Water Utilities Division, Grundfos.
Water networks around the world face increasing pressures as climate change drives extreme weather, with rapid urbanisation and rising populations pushing ageing infrastructure beyond its limits.
These pressures are making floods, sewer overflows and network disruptions more common, more complicated and more expensive to manage. To keep pace with these accelerating challenges, water utilities need technologies providing smarter, more resilient ways to manage water and wastewater.
Across Europe, post-war networks are struggling under demands of modern life. Fully replacing these ageing systems is unrealistic, yet their deterioration leads to Inflow and Infiltration (I&I), where excess water enters sewers through damaged pipes, accounting for up to 50% of treated wastewater. This significantly drives up energy use and emissions.
However, utilities are often trapped in a PR storm, forced to prioritise visible issues over critical, invisible leaks. As a looming wave of mandated spending approaches, there is a serious risk of installing a new generation of ‘dumb’ assets. To solve the growing concern of I&I, we must ensure the rush to repair does not result in unconnected infrastructure that remains blind to the issues it was meant to solve.
Digital solutions
Because conventional upgrades alone can’t keep pace, digital tools are becoming essential. These technologies, such as data and sensor monitoring, allow utilities to build resilience within the existing infrastructure rather than relying on costly replacements.
For example, Target Basin Assessments, which combine manhole digital twin technology, data analytics, and hundreds of sensors, can identify I&I sources up to ten times faster than traditional methods. This means network-wide fixes that once took a decade can now be completed in a single year.
This said, I&I is only a small part of the problem. Fundamentally, our infrastructure is out of date, and even replacing just London’s entire water system would take 700 years.
Given the current crisis, this highlights the urgent need for a mix of innovative solutions beyond a replacement strategy to address today’s challenges. For example, the Thamesway tunnel project took over nine years from planning to completion.
Such a mix of solutions span across new forms of technology such as digital solutions, leveraging sensors, IOT, and AI, which can all play a crucial role in achieving sewer resilience within ageing infrastructure over a shorter period of time.
Proactive maintenance and overflow prevention, enhanced through data-driven technology, can help to mitigate stormwater pollution and reduce sewer overflows. Through data-driven predictive maintenance modules and system optimisation, engineers can flag pump & valve issues before they fail.
The system also includes an Overflow Warning module that alerts operators when levels/flows indicate the potential for an overflow, giving water managers the ability to act before pollution events occur.
It is also possible to understand through data monitoring where the most critical and impactful changes can be made in the network, allowing utilities to make the best use of limited resources. Telemetry allows water managers to control pumps dynamically, adjusting operations to suit varying conditions, enabling sewage systems to function efficiently under often unpredictable environmental pressures while also withstanding changeable conditions.
The Silver Tsunami
However, even the most advanced tools rely on a skilled workforce. Water utilities are facing a “silver tsunami” as a wave of experienced workers retire, taking decades of institutional knowledge and on-the-job training with them.
This loss is worsened by a training gap; many young professionals missed critical hands-on experience due to the pandemic, while the next generation of would-be water engineers consider whether a career in water is too risky given debacles across the sector.
Digitalisation helps bridge this talent gap by acting as a force multiplier. By moving towards smart, cloud-connected systems, utilities can shift from demanding site visits to centralised remote monitoring, allowing a single professional to manage a portfolio of assets that previously required a team of multiple people.
With vacancy rates for skilled roles reaching 35% in the UK (compared with a 23% national average) and up to 50% in the US, embracing digital solutions is no longer just about efficiency; it is an essential complementary survival strategy.
Digital tools ensure that a smaller, technology-proficient workforce can still meet the massive infrastructure demands of the coming years.
Fixing our water infrastructure is not a lost cause, but rather a necessity for sustaining our way of life. The cost of inaction is far greater than the investment needed to strengthen the systems that sustain us.
Around the world, innovation is already transforming ageing networks into resilient, progressive systems that protect our economy and environment. However, we must remember that digital data is not the silver bullet to success, but rather an imperative, and it is complementary.
Whilst technology cannot solve the industry’s infrastructure and workforce challenges by itself, it serves as the essential connection. It ensures that every investment is targeted and data-driven rather than reactive and acts as a force multiplier for an effective workforce. By acting now to integrate smart technology with infrastructure, we can secure the future of our water for generations to come.
