Optimizing an Urban Water Infrastructure Through a Smart Water Network Management System

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Optimizing an Urban Water Infrastructure Through a Smart Water Network Management System

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Authors:

Evangelos Ntousakis, Konstantinos Loukakis,Evgenia Petrou,Dimitris Ipsakisand, Spiros Papaefthimiou*

Abstract

Water, an essential asset for life and growth, is under growing pressure due to climate change, overpopulation, pollution, and industrialization. At the same time, water distribution within cities relies on piping networks that are over 30 years old and thereby prone to leaks, cracking, and losses.

Taking this into account, non-revenue water (i.e., water that is distributed to homes and facilities but not returning revenues) is estimated at almost 50%. To this end, intelligent water management via computational advanced tools is required in order to optimize water usage, to mitigate losses, and, more importantly, to ensure sustainability. To address this issue, a case study was developed in this paper, following a step-by-step methodology for the city of Heraklion, Greece, in order to introduce an intelligent water management system that integrates advanced technologies into the aging water distribution infrastructure.

The first step involved the digitalization of the network’s spatial data using geographic information systems (GIS), aiming at enhancing the accuracy and accessibility of water asset mapping. This methodology allowed for the creation of a framework that formed a “digital twin”, facilitating real-time analysis and effective water management. Digital twins were developed upon real-time data, validated models, or a combination of the above in order to accurately capture, simulate, and predict the operation of the real system/process, such as water distribution networks.

The next step involved the incorporation of a hydraulic simulation and modeling tool that was able to analyze and calculate accurate water flow parameters (e.g., velocity, flowrate), pressure distributions, and potential inefficiencies within the network (e.g., loss of mass balance in/out of the district metered areas).

This combination provided a comprehensive overview of the water system’s functionality, fostering decision-making and operational adjustments. Lastly, automatic meter reading (AMR) devices could then provide real-time data on water consumption and pressure throughout the network. These smart water meters enabled continuous monitoring and recording of anomaly detections and allowed for enhanced control over water distribution. All of the above were implemented and depicted in a web-based environment that allows users to detect water meters, check water consumption within specific time-periods, and perform real-time simulations of the implemented water network.

Keywords:

 smart water distribution network (WDN); hydraulic model; digital twin (DT); non-revenue water (NRW) reduction; active leakage control (ALC); district metered areas (DMAs); water balance method; QGIS; EPANET; TRACE; automatic meter-reading (AMR) devices

1. Introduction

1.1. Background and Objective

Water is a vital yet limited resource that requires efficient management strategies to minimize waste and ensure sustainability. A major challenge in water distribution systems is the high percentage of non-revenue water (NRW), i.e., water that is consumed but not invoiced. In several regions, NRW may account for nearly 50% of the system input volume, highlighting the urgent need for modern solutions to optimize usage and mitigate losses [1,2].

The main reasons for water losses include physical losses, commercial losses, unbilled authorized consumption, or even unauthorized consumption. Physical losses are typically due to leaks, pipe cracking, and aging infrastructure. Commercial losses result from faulty water meters, illegal connections, and billing errors. Unbilled authorized consumption accounts for firefighting, municipal services, and system maintenance [3].

The European Union has developed a series of strategies and directives that aim towards the preservation of water, the tackling of droughting periods, and, eventually, the establishment of long-term water management. The Water Framework Directive (WFD)—Directive 2000/60/EC [4] focuses, among others, on ensuring that there is enough water to support wildlife and human needs. A key objective of the above directive requires member states to report individual river basin management plans and programs of measures in order to restore water bodies in a good status (in terms of chemical substances, quantities, provision, environmental protection, etc.). Furthermore, monitoring the network for potable water, water quality, water safety plans, etc., conforms to the Drinking Water Directive 98/83/EC, as amended by Directive 2015/1787/EC.

In Greece, this challenge in water distribution networks is particularly pronounced due to aging infrastructure and lack of essential monitoring technologies, such as pressure and flow sensors, data recording, and intelligent telemetric networks. These shortcomings lead to substantial resource losses, including water, energy, and operational labor [5]. Table 1 shows an overview of costs related to NRW per region around the world. As can be seen, around USD 40 million (10% of that is attributed only to Europe) is lost due to the faults in water management systems.

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