While the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy in the water management sector, early applications are showing great potential. Andrew Welsh, General Manager – Water Utilities at Xylem UK & Ireland, takes a closer look at how one of the most seemingly unlikely of industries looks set to become one of the most compelling stories to watch in the years ahead.

Andrew Welsh: Last month, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency declared England may face water shortages within 20 to 25 years. Last year, UNESCO published a report stating that around five billion people are expected to be living in countries or regions tackling water shortages by 2050. Considering these shocking figures and scenarios, it is unsurprising that the water industry is constantly working towards seeking new and more intelligent ways in which to deliver vital resources to those who need them most.

Yet developing smarter solutions presents certain challenges and the water management sector has been conservative when adopting new technologies in the past. However, at a time when demand for water is rapidly accelerating to unprecedented levels, experts believe that AI has the potential to fundamentally transform the economics and productivity of water management in years to come. In turn, more intelligent water solutions will become available to areas wracked by water scarcity.

AI can be defined in many ways, but is best explained as the theory and development of intelligent response computer systems. These systems are able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence and analyse data at a far quicker speed and larger scale than any person could ever manage. The main benefits of AI include not only the ability to identify patterns in data, but also to learn from these patterns as a result of endlessly refining relationships between variables.

AI has the potential to predict and determine any number of responses to given challenges on water and sewerage networks as well as the treatment works. This will truly put the customer at the heart of all decision making and transform performance. In an era where skilled staff will become increasingly harder to recruit, use of intelligent sophisticated solutions will be essential to maintain increasing societal demands.

For the water industry, the ability to use AI solutions to learn and problem-solve at an unprecedented pace will be critical for meeting the challenge of water scarcity and improving resilience. Issues such as aging infrastructure, climate change, severe weather and overpopulation are continuous concerns for water systems managers and exacerbate the overarching problem. For these managers, who must combat the issue while also maintaining exacting environmental and public health standards combined with affording vital repairs, AI will be a powerful tool.

Indeed, the water sector is using AI in increasingly sophisticated ways. For example, by adopting machine learning and artificial intelligence methodologies, one US water operator was able to detect a number of inefficient meters and make savings of just over $750,000. Expensive maintenance callouts have also become much less frequent for water managers who have integrated AI into their smart wastewater pumping systems, where it can optimise performance levels and operating conditions. On an even greater scale, one large utility company that incorporated AI into their wireless sensor network reduced their combined annual sewer overflows by over a billion gallons.

Yet these gains only scratch the surface of what AI can achieve. As adoption increases, the water sector will have access to an even wider array of predictive and prescriptive analytics that could enhance customer service, keep costs down and reduce overall environmental impact. AI could also allow water systems managers to better affect the infrastructure for which they are responsible and further supplement knowledge required to resolve challenges unique to their local area.

In conclusion, AI is driving a paradigm shift across society and its impact will be keenly felt in the water sector. Faced with a future where water scarcity is an ever-growing problem, the application of AI solutions could help resolve a global crisis and enable water managers to better serve their local environment. It therefore represents the next evolution of tools that will propel the industry forward, making the life of the operator easier and allowing them to do more, with less.

Click here to download a copy of Xylem’s white paper, The Smarter Water Manager