Current Situation
Several factors are putting pressure on cities’ wastewater systems including growing urban populations, the increasing intensity and frequency of climatic hazards due to climate change, and newly identified pollutants. Effective wastewater management is critical to ensuring the continued supply of potable drinking water as well as managing drainage overflow and flood risks.
Goals and Objectives
Smart wastewater systems can help cities convert wastewater into drinking water more effectively and monitor water levels to monitor and reduce the risk of drainage overflow and flooding. The implementation of IoT sensors and systems enables authorities to track the flow and composition of water in order to monitor overflow and flood risk, detect harmful chemicals, choose between specific treatment processes, monitor equipment, and repurpose waste (e.g., generate electricity from surplus methane).
Technology Deployed
IoT sensors (air quality, water quality, pressure, etc.), big data/analytics, dashboards, public alerting, data visualization, GIS modeling, meteorological data and weather stations, and smart meters
Use Case Summary
Wastewater management systems leverage technology to effectively manage wastewater across cities. This includes leveraging technology to monitor and manage flood risk and overflow, which is critical to reduce risks to citizens and assets. It also includes converting wastewater into drinking water more effectively. The systems track the flow and composition of wastewater to optimize operations, monitor overflow during storms, prevent contamination, reduce flood risk, and repurpose waste.