Technology Helps Ensure Future Clean Water Access for All
Water Efficiency readers are no strangers to the frightening and growing scarcity of global water. The demand for water is outpacing availability more and more each day, and at current consumption rates, we will face a worldwide water shortage of 40% by 2030, according to the UN Environment Programme report. This shortage will only serve to exacerbate the frightening issue that 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water.
The shortage and its worldwide ramifications are clearer than ever during these hot, dry summer months. Last summer, abnormal dryness and drought conditions affected 41% of our nation. Another summer is upon us, and with it comes warm temperatures, dry conditions, and water crises nationwide.
Everyone deserves a clean glass of water, but water cannot be manufactured or produced. The amount on earth is finite and must be managed, measured, and conserved as carefully as possible. And, we will all reap the consequences or benefits of how water is managed by water utilities, customers, and technology.
The Role of Water Utilities and Technology
The future of water will be managed by technology and implemented by water utilities and local municipalities. Members of the water industry, particularly utilities and municipalities, are stewards with the utmost respect for our most precious resource. These stewards also have the vision to know what is required to protect it, the incentive to use it wisely, and a commitment to ensure that their community has an abundant and affordable supply of clean, safe water.
A technology that many of you are familiar with will also be a key partner in conserving water worldwide and ensuring global access: Smart water networks. The integrated technology that supports a smart water network enables the communication that is necessary to automatically measure water use, monitor distribution lines for leaks, and perform and manage a variety of field operations and infrastructure remotely through a single, two-way communications network.
Smart water networks can measure water flow down to a single drop, identify leaks, and help utilities to capture water that previously went down the drain. Smart water networks do more than just enable utilities and municipalities to efficiently manage water use though–they enable end-users to have real-time data access. This access facilitates better understanding of usage patterns and thereby encourages behavioral changes to facilitate conservation.
We are already seeing the benefits of building smart water networks, as utilities have begun to save millions of gallons of water through more accurate water measurement, preventive maintenance, and leak detection. This technology goes beyond saving water utilities money though; this technology addresses one of our most precious resources–water.
Another benefit of this technology is that it is constantly evolving. In the near future, we envision going well beyond the aforementioned capabilities of smart water networks to monitor and control utility operations beyond the meter, such as water quality, pressure monitoring, and graywater.
Turning Vision and Technology Into Action
Even with the right technology, there is still much work to be done to ensure clean water for years to come. In 2007, the EPA assessed the 20-year capital investment needed for the US public drinking water system at a sum total exceeding $300 billion. Since then, the number has increased to exceed $500 billion. As if those numbers are not daunting enough, conservative growth estimates forecast a 65% increase in water demand in a 25-year period–that’s a 2.7-trillion-gallon increase.
Despite the cost of this investment, the current water crisis combined with the future increase in need are reason enough to invest in these upgrades as the water infrastructure in developed countries is in drastic need of upgrade and repair. Infrastructure upgrades help ensure water is not wasted due to leaks, and that energy is not wasted treating and distributing water that will be lost due to leaks.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, leaking pipes account for the loss of an estimated 7 billion gallons of water each day in the US. Not only are utilities losing a precious resource, but they’re also losing potential dollars, due to an aging infrastructure. In fact, EPA determined that 30% of pipes in the US are between 40 and 80 years old. Aging pipes are culprits for leaks, lost water, and lost revenue, thereby underscoring the importance of infrastructure upgrades.
I hope we are able to see these numbers less as alarming, but more as encouragement to take needed action. These numbers are a telling list of reasons that the time for an investment in our future is here. From the moment we turn on the faucet to brush our teeth in the morning to the last sip of cool water we drink before bed, water permeates our lives. Yet, as critical as it is to our daily activities, it is easy to forget all that must happen to ensure clean water flows out of our faucets. We oftentimes forget to appreciate clean water, and the startling fact is that 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water, according to a Human Development Report by the United Nations in 2006. Even more astounding is the fact that 1.8 million people die annually from water related diseases.
The knowledge and power to ensure that everyone has access to clean water is in our hands. As you consider future system upgrades, please consider technologies that enable conservation and become an example in this global movement for clean water. This partnership between people and technology will help conserve one of our most precious resources–water.