www.epa.gov/research
                         science   in   ACTION
                         INNOVATIVE RESEARCH  FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
SMART WATER: ENERGY-WATER OPTIMIZATION IN DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS
     Background

     The United States drinking water distribution system
     network contains approximately two million miles of
     water pipelines and infrastructure.  As the infrastructure
     supporting this vital urban function continues to age, there
     is growing concern that contaminants may be introduced
     into the distribution system via broken pipes and that
     large amounts of water could be lost throughout the
     system. The United States Geological Service (USGS)
     estimates that leaky pipes result in  a loss of 1.7 trillion
     gallons of water at an estimated cost of $2.6 billion per
     year. Variations in source raw water and water demand
     further burden the aged water treatment and distribution
     systems. Water transport, treatment, and distribution use
     up to  19% of total energy in U.S. municipalities. These
     costs are increasing due to rising energy costs and
     increased demand on diminishing supplies. To realize
     system integrity and economic benefit, there is a need to
     stop water loss and monitor and optimize water-energy
     use within distribution systems.

     Research Plan & Objectives

     To develop the "Smart Water Platform" for field
     application, EPA has utilized a Cooperative Research and
     Development Agreement (CRADA) with the General
     Electric Co. (GE), and relevant intellectual properties and
     research outcomes. When fully developed, the Smart
     Water Platform will take  water treatment and distribution
     as a single system for simultaneous energy and water
     quality optimization. It applies adaptive monitoring, real-
     time data acquisition and systems modeling, and uses
     iterative SCADA system  controls for near real-time
     optimization in the drinking water systems. The technical
     objective is to achieve uniform water quality compliance
     throughout a network, accommodate source water and
     water demand variations, and achieve a system-wide
     energy reduction up to 15%. Once  refined, EPA will
     deploy the technology for field demonstration and use the
     data collected to refine it  for product commercialization.
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Office of Research and Development
   EPA Cincinnati Water Technology
              Cluster Team

On January 18, 2011, EPA Administrator Lisa
P. Jackson announced the commitment of $5
million over the next three to five years to
support the research, development, and
deployment (RD&D) of cost-effective,
innovative water technologies that demonstrate
tenets of sustainability, timeliness, innovation,
and responsiveness.

The EPA Cincinnati water technology cluster
team was created to oversee and promote this
RD&D effort. The cluster team holds the
following goals and objectives as it strives to
help solve water challenges:

• To promote innovation in the water
  technology sector in the Cincinnati, Dayton,
  northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana
  region by communicating water challenges,
  Agency priorities, and technology needs.
• To foster and generate water technology
  RD&D collaborations among internal and
  external partners within the region by
  facilitating access to EPA research facilities
  and equipment.
• To help identify, protect, and transfer EPA
  intellectual property to the marketplace.

These objectives allow the cluster team to
promote regional water technology RD&D
while maintaining EPA's overall mission of
protecting human health and the environment.

For more information, please visit
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/watercluster.
                            EPA/600/S/12/722
                              December 2012

-------
     Basic Architecture
                                                      N e ig nfa-s rhcoas
           Real-Time
            Display
                          Water Data Elements
                               SCADA
                               Alarm
                             Operolional
                              Dashboard
Historian
                      AMR
                    Database
 Web
Server
                                  Customer
                                  Dashboard
                                    Utility
                                 Dashboard
                           Prediction Model

                            Basic Architecture of the "Smart Water Platform"
Products & Outcomes
Once the product has been fine-tuned based on results of the demonstration, the platform will have functionality
invaluable to the water industry and sustainability practitioners. The platform will provide data acquisition and
management, maximum protection of water quality in distribution to meet regulation standards, and optimization
of energy efficiency through synchronized real-time operations. A preliminary technological assessment showed
up to 15% potential energy savings. A prototype will be produced during the first phase of the project. Product
refinement and deployment will take place in the second phase.

Status
Timeline
Research &
Development
Prototype Model
Development
Site Demonstration
Commercialization
2012
Oct-
Dec.




2013
Jan.-
Mar.




Apr.-
June




July-
Sept.




Oct.-
Dec.




2014
Jan.-
Mar.




Apr.-
June




July-
Sept.




Contact
Y. Jeffrey Yang, Ph.D., PE.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Phone: 513-569-7655
E-mail: yang.jeff@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
                             EPA/600/S-12/722
                             December 2012

-------