Water wells are a source of life. It is high time we started monitoring them

For Gunther Schwarz, this question came to the fore via a large project in southern Europe where Siemens contributed technology and expertise to a comprehensive well monitoring solution. As a solution architect for water and wastewater at Siemens, Schwarz has become passionate about this aspect of water management.

Why is well monitoring so crucial to the water industry?

All over the world, water tables are falling, and groundwater is becoming an increasingly scarce and threatened resource even here in Europe. Whereas in the past you could simply build a new well—maybe a bit deeper, maybe a bit farther away—this is often no longer feasible. The question is: How can we manage this valuable resource better?

This is why we need to look at water wells, where water is extracted from the aquifer. What happens there is essential to how we treat and manage drinking water. We need to change the way we monitor wells in order to get better data and gain more control over both well performance and water quality. So far, I think everyone in the industry will agree—but here’s the thing: When you discuss well monitoring with water utilities, you learn that the level of automation, data acquisition, and monitoring is typically very low. Wells for private use, agriculture, and industry may not be monitored at all. Wells for the public drinking water supply are being monitored, but typically only through manual measurements. And we are not speaking only about remote rural areas here, but also about urban municipalities in advanced countries. Water wells are a source of life. It is high time we started monitoring them and gathering data to learn more about and improve well management.

Why do we need to change well monitoring practices now?

Well pollution is a concern in many regions, especially in light of increasingly frequent groundwater contamination with “forever chemicals” such as PFAS

Because the current situation already creates a lot of challenges. First and foremost, there are many regions where new or stricter regulations for water extraction are being imposed or are under consideration. Second, especially with changing weather patterns, monitoring and securing water quality at the well is very important to prevent contamination of the water supply. Third, well pollution is a concern in many regions, especially in light of increasingly frequent groundwater contamination with “forever chemicals” such as PFAS. And finally, well operation consumes a lot of energy for pumping, storage, and so on, so energy efficiency is a major factor in efficient well operation. These factors alone are becoming significant drivers for change in well operation.

On the next level, there is a growing awareness of the need for greater cybersecurity in well operation, just as in other fields. Water wells are part of critical infrastructure systems. Operators need to be able to secure systems such as pumps and sensors from attacks, and they need to be able to demonstrate that they have taken suitable measures to ensure cybersecurity.

Finally, there are the issues of both aging infrastructure and an aging workforce. Many wells have been in operation for decades, using inefficient, multivendor equipment. Spare parts may no longer be available, repairs are increasingly expensive, and the risk of a sudden equipment failure is high. This drives up the costs of well operation. Water utilities have to manage these dated installations with limited resources. This may still work OK today, but what about tomorrow?

Right now, you may still have the staff needed to take manual measurements at the wells, do daily checks on your installations (often by car), and be on call for failures at night and on weekends—but many of these skilled employees will retire in the next few years. What will your team look like in 10 years?

What strategies do you propose?

In many ways, the situation in the water industry is not so different from that in other industries. Challenges such as rising production costs and a lack of skilled labor are not unique to water. What is unique about the water industry is that it can leapfrog ahead by utilizing the technologies and strategies that have been successful in other industries. 

Can you give some examples of these strategies in use?

In the last few years, we have completed several projects where we implemented different solutions for remote monitoring and control of water wells with varying levels of complexity. For example, there is an application in Belgium where wells for irrigation are managed with a very simple, cost-efficient solution. Operators can switch on pumps and switch them off again, as well as set parameters such as pressure and flow, via a basic portable HMI. So the solution is very easy to use.

On the other end of the complexity scale, we supported a water utility in Austria with a comprehensive remote monitoring and operation solution for managing 12 well systems, 60 booster stations, and 40 elevated tanks, plus an extensive network of pipelines. This solution transmits operating data (pressure, flow measurements, meter readings, error data, etc.) from the stations to the central control room, where operators can remotely control the systems (frequency converters, actuators, etc.) via cybersecure communication.

How will such investments pay off?

Automation can also provide an added layer of security by alerting operators to unauthorized access

We are very much aware that cost-effectiveness is a major concern for water utilities. This is why we have built eight sample applications to demonstrate the versatility of our measurement and analytics, automation and communication, and drive and monitoring portfolio for water wells. With more than a thousand possible configurations, we can cover essentially all levels of technical requirements. Our solutions allow utilities to take a twofold approach that automates well monitoring and standardizes their well installations. This approach will help them benefit from better performance of their water well equipment; improved availability and accuracy of water quality data; higher energy and resource efficiency; and added services, such as predictive maintenance to increase well equipment uptime. Increasing the level of automation will reduce the workload for staff and provide a safer and more attractive work environment as well.

Automation can also provide an added layer of security by alerting operators to unauthorized access. And on top of that, monitoring data on the water level, temperature, quality, and extraction rate of several wells provides operators with the information needed to assess the behavior of their wells and water reservoirs. Combining this information with data from weather services enables them to look into the future: How much rain will recharge the wells within what time frame? This is an exciting scenario for well operators!

Can you quantify the return on investment?

The main driver for automation is regulatory pressure. However, investing in well modernization can provide multiple benefits and a fast return on investment [ROI]—how fast depends very much on the specific situation, but it is a number that can be calculated based on some information provided by the utility or systems integrator. In fact, our sales teams are happy to help customers identify which measures will have the best ROI. This is also something I would like to emphasize: If you, as a water utility or as a systems integrator, are not sure which solution to pick for well monitoring, or if you lack the expertise to implement solutions, you do not have to do this all by yourself. There are system and solution providers out there who can support you. It does not have to be Siemens—but, of course, we are always more than happy to help. So if you have questions, or if you want to know which well monitoring solution would work best for you, do get in touch.

For more information on Siemens solutions for well monitoring, or to contact Gunther Schwarz, click on this link.