Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 19TH - 25TH JULY 2019 | 23 Operations & Assets Operations & Assets Operations & Assets Operations & Assets failure to occur in a city of the size of New York. "It is too dan- gerous, the potential for public safety risk and chaos is too high. We just can't have a system that does that, it's that simple at the end of the day." He said the state's depart- ment of public service would investigate the incident. The outage occurred on the anniversary of a similar event in New York City in 1977, but that led to widespread looting and arson. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send pictures and details to: paulnewton@fav-house.com T he water sector is primed to undergo fundamental change over the next few years. With our anticipated population growth comes increased demand for water, which relies on infrastructure that is o… en a century old. Climate change looks set to upset our current models of supply and demand, as the Met Oˆ ce predicts reduced river ‰ ows in the summer and increased winter ‰ ooding in the future. Add to this the fact that customers continue to expect excellent service without signi‹ cant bill rises and one thing is clear: the water industry will simply have to transform under the stress of these powerful drivers. Better preventive tools will be crucial for the sector as it strives to meet these chal- lenges, including tools focus- ing on ‰ ood prevention. It is estimated that 3.3 billion litres of water are lost each day in England and Wales through leaks in infrastructure. Going forward, this can't be toler- ated with increased demand and weather-related volatility. Eˆ ciency will be everything. Remote sensors monitoring water ‰ ow are increasingly being deployed. Connecting to the Internet of Things, they allow the collection of real-time data. This can lead to much faster detection of leaks in pipes, which alerts engineers sooner to mitigate the consequences of ‰ ooding. Working with our Strategic Consulting Team, we are cur- rently exploring this technol- ogy while partnering with our water sector clients to conduct trials that could mean e— ec- tive ‰ ood prevention becomes a reality much sooner than many people realise. Data gathered from within the water supply system is one area. But we are also now exploring how data gathered from hundreds of miles above earth can also help. New algorithms can now interpret satellite radar images that reveal tiny changes in ground motion that a— ect waste and clean water networks. It's an exciting new approach, which we hope could o— er a fresh way of anticipating network problems. Water is clearly one of our most basic needs, although it's true that the supply of it to homes is somewhat taken for granted. With fresh chal- lenges arising as society and the environment adapts, and new technology emerging that demands further exploration, the industry is under pressure to keep pace with change. Ultimately, people simply expect water to ‰ ow from their taps, regardless of the wider context. Two key weapons in the industry's armoury going forward are innovation and investment. By dedicating budgets and time to ‹ nding solutions to emerging issues, we should be con‹ dent that we can, as a sector, navigate a path to meet customers' future expectations. Visit: amey.co.uk/a-better- future EXPERT VIEW CHRIS ELLIOT, BUSINESS DIRECTOR FOR WATER NORTH, AMEY From within the network to out in space – data will transform water services

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