In the US, telecommunications corporation AT&T has partnered with IBM and Atlanta-based Mueller Water Products to develop an IoT solution to improve water management and reduce water loss in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The IoT solution uses Echologics sensors and sound technology from Mueller Water Products, along with AT&T’s LTE wireless network, which is able to detect water pressure, temperature and leaks.
IBM brings to the table its Water Management Center which aggregates all water data. The Water Management Centre affords water authorities a complete overview of past, present and future performance.
Through the partnership, AT&T, IBM and Mueller Water Products aim to prove the ability of IoT technology to address the challenge of water sustainability.
Drought, aging water infrastructure and limited funds are some of the few factors plaguing communities everywhere, stifling the ability to save water, reports PR Newswire
An intelligent solution, such as the one developed by AT&T, IBM and Mueller Water Products can assist communities gather information around the state of its fire hydrants, underground pipes, and drainage systems, the companies claim.
Says Mike Troiano, vice president, AT&T Industrial IoT Solutions: “A typical water pipe leak wastes almost 400,000 gallons of water per year.
“Cities are facing water shortages all over the world and need help identifying issues early to help avoid a catastrophic event. We’re giving communities more visibility into their water supply, and helping them better manage the future operation of their water systems.”
IoT water solution trials
The IoT water solution has been trialled in US cities – Atlanta, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Nevada with participating companies having shared results at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Tech Expo, which took place this week in Washington, D.C.
Charles Scott, engineering project manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District stated: “With this new permanent leak monitoring technology, we can now monitor the pipe for small, subsurface leaks, which gives us a better opportunity to fix them before they develop into larger leaks.
“This reduces our risk, and allows us to focus our maintenance efforts to targeted sections of pipe.”
The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) provides water to more than 1 million people as well as 40 million visitors to Las Vegas per year. The district has more than 4,000 miles of pipeline in assets and a reservoir system that can store up to 900 million gallons of water.
LVVWD uses the new IoT water solution to manage the water supply pipeline and minimize potential water loss.
The solution forms part of NIST’s Global City Teams Challenge, an initiative designed to advance the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies within a smart city / smart community environment
Sokwoo Rhee, associate director of Cyber-Physical Systems Program, NIST concluded: “The success of the smart water project wouldn’t be possible without the remarkable vision and execution of three industry leaders.
“Water shortages are growing at an alarming rate and this technology helps conserve such an essential resource for communities across the globe.”