Smart Sewer Networks – Lessons From Overseas And Their Application To New Zealand
Annual Conference
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Wastewater systems have traditionally been fit-and-forget. However, this is changing. Aging assets, population growth and increased environmental standards are driving the need for a new approach that integrates monitoring and modelling to actively manage wastewater systems.
Smart sewer systems monitor flows in the wastewater network and forecast changes in weather and other operating conditions to predict flows. They then activity-control flows, utilising storage in the system to improve energy efficiency and reduce overflows, delivering improved performance at less cost.
This paper sets out a vision for how wastewater systems can be actively monitored, modelled and managed. It draws on research undertaken by WSP for the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) and discusses the applicability of this research to wastewater networks in New Zealand.
The paper identifies that active management of sewers does not need to be complex nor expensive. Rather it is a tool that can be implemented to support management from very simple situations through to highly complex ones.