IBM is teaming up with the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA), which supplies water to more than 600,000 people in Northern California’s wine country, to provide innovative “smart water analytics” solutions for water conservation. IBM’s research center in Haifa Israel has developed a water pressure management solution which enables water pressure adjustments based on usage, weather, and environmental conditions. According to IBM, the benefits of improved pressure management include reduced water loss, energy savings, and reduced wear on the infrastructure—alongside an improvement in the quality and turnover of stored water.
According to the Jerusalem Post, The system, now in its pilot stage, has been running since October and will operate for another three to six months before presumably proceeding to a commercial stage. Pnina Vortman, research relationship manager for IBM’s smarter water solutions, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that the pilot stage is promising, “We saw a reduction in the number of pressure spikes. It really reduced the numbers.” Preventing pipe leaks is not only about reducing water loss, but is also about reducing pipe bursts that cause hours of labor and traffic as a result, Vortman told The Jerusalem Post. Thus far, most technologies dealing with leaky pipes serve to detect leaks after they occur, while this technology is aiming to be more preemptive, she said.
The results in the Valley of the Moon have proven successful so far, and the region has been able to fill their water tanks to higher levels by monitoring pressure more closely.
Paul Gradolph, Operations and Maintenance Supervisor from Valley of the Moon Water District is quoted in thh IBM Research blog as saying, ”We’re very pleased with the recommendations of the system. I’ve been operating this system for 30 years, and I never thought of making the changes the IBM system recommended. Our ongoing collaboration with IBM is a clear indication of how the innovative use of technology helps us effectively manage the resources in our care.”
Article appearing courtesy Israel NewTech.
