The maker: bringing new technologies to life

We release the September issue of Smart Water Magazine Bimonthly. Piers Clark, Founder and Chairman of Isle Group, is this month’s cover person. Believing in the value of innovative technologies and practices to address water management issues, Isle’s Water Action Platform offers a forum to explore opportunities for collaboration and share knowledge, Piers tell us in an interview. In this issue you will find many examples of how water companies are embracing innovation: in our business section an article by Acciona delves into the activities of their R&D&I Department. Synauta details how a machine learning approach can enhance the efficiency of RO membranes, and Envirosuite proposes cloud-based design tools specific for water treatment plants, while Minsait examines the extent to which companies have adopted smart solutions. Introducing smart technology, this time in storm and sewer systems, is StomSensor’s approach to improve urban water management and reduce vulnerability to flooding and water pollution – you can read about it in an interview with company’s founder and CEO Erin K. Rothman.

Find all this and much more in Smart Water Magazine Bimonthly 9.

Features

An in depth look at how ACCIONA’s R&D&I Department in its Water Division supports sustainable water management solutions.

Water sector leader Almar Water Solutions is committed to meeting the water-related needs of the mining industry in Latin America.

Public-private collaboration and risk sharing underpins Aqualia’s strategy and commitment to achieve sustainability gains.

Droople’s solutions for water dispensing systems provide insights that can help the habits of consumers and institutions evolve.

Reduce significantly the time it takes to design water treatment processes using Envirosuite’s cloud-based design technology.

Hidroconta presents the successful implementation of its Deméter system to remotely control an irrigation network in the Canary Islands.

Minsait, digitalization of water utilities.

A machine learning approach by Synauta can help increase the efficiency and service life of reverse osmosis membranes.

Interviews

Dr Piers Clark, Chairman of Isle Utilities

• Isle helps water utilities identify and adopt new technologies and innovations which will help our clients better serve their customers.
• At the Water Action Platform we have seen that it is the stories and experiences from the individuals which makes the difference.
• The impact of increased cost and decreased income during the pandemic has left many water utilities in a perilous financial state
• Some countries (for example Israel, Singapore, etc.) are hot-beds for innovation, and this is usually driven by national policy
• We have held over 30 webinars, usually with 4 or 5 speakers, ranging from sector experts, to technologists, to utility operators

Alon Tavor. IDE Water Technologies

• We're excited to bring our advanced desalination technology to Mumbai and help the city take the necessary steps toward water resilience
• Our competent team in India is currently involved in several tenders, both for industrial and municipal water treatment facilities
• In a DBO model, an EPC contract ensures the plant is built in the best possible way, as the same group must meet the operation goals
• As industry leaders in one of the most critical elements of our existence, we must act toward a more sustainable supply of water
• The combined efforts of governments and the private sector (P3 or HAM models) are required to meet challenges at the right time

Erin K. Rothman, CEO of StormSensor

• I founded StormSensor in 2015 with a simple vision, to create the ‘Google traffic maps’ of sewers and stormwater systems.
• Because extreme weather events are becoming more common, it’s critical that we understand our vulnerabilities in order to respond.
• High-resolution data capture and analytics to get to the core of the issue provide visibility into systems as they stand currently.
• Our notifications provide forecasted and real-time alerts of active CSOs, which can be used to support public notification requirements.
• StormSensor’s networks are more typically deployed by cities to take a watershed and network-based perspective on flows.

Opinion articles

• Alain Kilajian, Senior Sustainability Specialist at the International Hydropower Association
• Anna Kosovac, Research Fellow, University of Melbourne; Kris Hartley, Assistant Professor at the Education University of Hong Kong and Glen Kuecker, Professor of History at DePauw University
• Ant Lane, field technician support, Westermo.
• Hassan Aboelnga, Vice Chair of Middle East Water Forum, and Nada El Agizy, Director of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation Department at the League of Arab States
• Lindsay Shand, associate partner and principal environmental geologist at SRK Consulting; Dr Simon Lorentz, principal hydrologist at SRK Consulting and Fiona Sutton, principal consultant at SRK Consulting
• Will Sarni, CEO Water Foundry and CEO Colorado River Basin Fund
• Rolien Sasse and Karen Meijer, on behalf of the Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership
• Zaid Railoun, Project Relationship Manager at Morwakoma Matji Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd., South Africa