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In a world of constrained water resources and extreme weather events that can often disrupt water supply, effective water management is paramount. The challenges of managing water supply and security have contributed to rising costs for customers in recent years. Water utilities across the board are being challenged to reduce the costs of supply to look at ways to deliver water more efficiently.
The cost of water for customers in Australia has increased by an average of at least 15% in the past several years. As a result, water companies are looking at ways to reduce operating costs in order to pass the savings to customers without compromising reliability or continuity of service.
In 2010, South Australia Water Corporation (SA Water) engaged MWH Global as part of a joint venture to deliver an interconnection to a water supply network. The outcome of this investment would improve flexibility and reliability of supply, improve water security during drought events and increase capacity to allow for demand from population growth until 2050.
As part of the project, SA Water invested in a suite of decision support tools to support the optimal operation of the water supply network from source to tap. MWH worked closely with SA Water to develop the suite of decision support tools that deliver valuable operational and predictive analytics, ensuring that both current and future maintenance and operations are taken into account. These tools included a Demand Forecasting Tool, Network Operations Tool, Distribution Optimisation Tool and Network Status Display Tool. Most recently, an Energy Management dashboard was implemented to help make better decisions around spot market energy pricing and pump operations.
Integration of these tools was also a critical component of the project so that outputs from one tool are used as inputs into others. Integration with business data and live operational data feeds (tank levels, pump and valve position and set points, climate, population and customer billing data) provides real time information into the tools for better decision making. Live hydraulic modelling and real optimisations using sophisticated algorithms are just part of the smart water technologies that were used on this project.
These tools are unique in that they enable real-time operational analytics – what is happening now across the network and how should we respond to it – but also predicative analytics – what will happen in the future. Combined, these tools give SA Water access to a wealth of information not previously available. Covering the entire metropolitan Adelaide water network (more than 1 million customers), these tools are currently being used by the Operations Control Group within SA Water, which covers operations planning and control for the water network. The optimisation tool and energy management tool have already saved SA Water in excess of AUD$3.5 million in energy costs and more than AUD$800,000 in operational efficiency during the 2014 financial year.
Measurable reduction in customers impacted by events
Improved water quality event detection
Improved operational and business data quality and reliability
Improved visibility of operational and business data
Improved reliability and transparency in decision making
Review future forecasted network performance
Ability to quickly model emergency incidents allowing operators to run, review and trial solutions
Single point of reference for current network performance and operation
Semi-automated model update process reducing costs and time of maintaining model
Optimisation from “source to tap” to minimize pumping costs and manage water security over the short- and medium-term (two years)
Spot-market electricity tariff forecasts used in operations decision making
Awards:
Since 2014, this project has won a number of local, national and global awards:
