WWCE 2024 Theme content: Digital Water

Ripple Effect: Starting the Digital Transformation Journey

Michele Samuels, MBA, P.Eng., Strategic Accounts Manager, Xylem Inc.

The water sector is at a transitional moment. We are facing the escalating challenges of accessibility, affordability, and resilience against climate change, and digital solutions have demonstrated the potential to transform water systems.

When I speak with utility leaders about deploying digital solutions, those who find success don’t focus on “big bang” transformations. Instead, they talk about how a thoughtful, systematic approach is having a powerful impact.

With a wide range of digital technologies available and more than 400,000 water, wastewater, and storm water systems worldwide, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

However, the value of data and digital technology is clear: water, energy, and cost savings; greater operational and financial resilience; improved customer service; stricter regulatory compliance; and tools to address the challenges of an aging workforce.

So, what can we learn from utilities experiencing these benefits? How did they start? And how did they scale?

Our paper Ripple Effect: A Movement Towards Digital Transformation was created in collaboration with 18+ global utility leaders and provides key insights that can guide a thoughtful approach for utilities at any stage of their digital transformation journey.

Put Strategy Before Technology

Each utility’s unique strategic goals, regulatory demands, and available data should always guide any digital investment decision.  By deploying solutions that align with strategic priorities, investments will deliver measurable value and create momentum for further innovation.

Unitywater, a utility in Southeast Queensland, Australia, faced a rapidly growing population and increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Reducing non-revenue water loss by plugging leaks on the customer side became a key strategic priority. With this priority identified, Unitywater invested in a Smart Meter Network trial. The result? Unitywater identified leaks earlier across its network and on the customer side, saving customers more than 1.3 million AUD and over 286 million liters of water.

Choose Team, Then Tech

Utilities setting the pace in digital transformation cite a common approach to their success: putting operators in the driver’s seat. By listening to your team, you can empower them to utilize data and digital tools to impact their work and optimize outcomes.

Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) was struggling to leverage its overcapacity sewer system. Initially, BSA focused on process and technology without consulting team members. By fostering mutual understanding and shared responsibility across functions, BSA identified underused system parts for auxiliary storage. Combined with a real-time decision support system, operators gained visibility of wastewater buildups and recommendations on where to move water during heavy rain. This approach reduced combined sewer overflow volumes by 450 million gallons a year, saving the city $145 million USD in unnecessary capital expenditures.

Connect Small Projects for Big Wins

Successful operators find a sustainable pace of change. They deliver small wins by putting quality data to work and building thoughtfully on each success. This creates a ripple effect, with efforts gaining momentum over time.

The City of Evansville, Indiana, has invested incrementally in technology over the past decade to deliver significant operational and environmental gains. Through strategic planning, the utility has added instrumentation, improved communications systems, and fostered a culture of innovation. Resulting in a wave of transformation that reduced sewer overflows, labor costs, and energy consumption.

Show Progress at Every Step

Demonstrate the value of digital in a way that stakeholders can understand and show progress at every step of the journey. Don’t wait to tell the story of success; build support by demonstrating meaningful benefits to the end user.

After an advanced metering infrastructure pilot program, Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) surveyed the community on its success. Customer feedback indicated that customers had embraced digital technologies in other aspects of their lives and expected real-time data from their local utility. This feedback was vital to building a compelling business case to expand the digital transformation. TPU used this case to apply for federal grants and is now in the process of rolling out 190,000 electric meters and 110,000 water meters.

Embarking on a digital transformation journey is unique for every water utility. To achieve powerful outcomes, we can learn best from those utilities making progress putting digital technologies to work to solve the biggest challenges facing their communities.

 

The author

Michele Samuels, MBA, P.Eng., is Strategic Accounts Manager at Xylem. Michele is passionate about innovation and the role that digital technologies can play in driving operational and financial resiliency for customers across the water cycle.  Throughout her 25+ year career, Michele has held various roles within the water industry ranging from Utility Management in municipal government, through Consulting at various organizations including CH2M Hill, Stantec, and AECOM. Her expertise includes asset management, process design and optimization, strategic planning and capital delivery, regulatory compliance and environmental management systems, and policy development. Michele is a certified Asset Management Professional (IAM), a Professional Engineer (PEO), and holds master’s degrees in both Engineering  (University of Toronto) and Business (Warwick Business School, UK). www.linkedin.com/in/msamuelsmba