Water

The time to implement these solutions is now, before it’s too late. (Image source: Canva Pro)

As climate change intensifies water scarcity, pollution, and extreme weather events, the need for smarter water management has never been more pressing.

Gregg Herrin, Bentley Systems vice president for water, explains how digital twins offer a transformative solution, enabling utilities and governments to optimise water resources, enhance sustainability, and safeguard communities. With aging infrastructure and rising environmental challenges, adopting these technologies now is not just an opportunity—it is an urgent necessity. This the last article in this series. 

The examples shown earlier illustrate what’s possible when digital twins are used to address water issues at the source. Even as these problems become more severe, technology is continuing to adapt and evolve.

By leveraging digital twins, the water management sector can optimise source water management, improve sustainability, and enhance overall water security, ensuring that utilities can meet the demands of their customers while protecting and sustaining vital water resources.

Climate urgency

Urban planners, governmental leaders, and other stakeholders are also at a crossroads. As climate change results in more damaging storms, droughts, and depleted or polluted water supplies, delivering clean water to support both people and the environment, along with elevating agriculture while preserving natural habitats, will become an even greater challenge.

We have not only an opportunity but also an ethical obligation to leverage technology toward these goals, transforming the water management sector in a way that is both climate change-proof and sustainable.

The time to implement these solutions is now, before it’s too late. With increasing pressure from climate change, aging infrastructure, and regulatory and environmental requirements, the opportunity to fundamentally change the way we manage water for the better, by using digital solutions, is tangible and present.

Digital twins provide the predictive and real-time capabilities to respond to these dynamic conditions—and the beneficiaries of these digitally driven decisions are not only today’s communities, but those of the future.

In a previous post, we looked at how digital twins can ensure sustainable practices and help conserve water. Advanced technologies like smart meters, real-time data analytics, IoT, AI, and digital twins are transforming water management by enhancing monitoring, improving predictive capabilities, and enabling more informed decision-making. These innovations help minimise water waste and safeguard supplies from contamination.

We also highlighted a few case studies in this regard. The Sacramento Regional Sanitation Department began upgrading its water management infrastructure in 2010 to address California’s chronic water shortages. The EchoWater Project, a US$2.1bn initiative managed by Project Controls Cubed (PC3), aimed to meet new discharge standards and provide high-quality recycled water for local agriculture.

Bentley's software helps in optimising water management. (Image source: Canva Pro)

Gregg Herrin, Bentley Systems vice president for water, highlights a few case studies where digital twins helped cities conserve water. This is the second in a three-part series of his op-ed, which has been slightly edited for brevity. Read the first part here. 

Companhia Águas de Joinville (CAJ) supplies water and sanitation services to approximately 600,000 residents of Joinville, a thriving municipality in Santa Catarina, South Brazil. In 2020, Joinville experienced the worst drought in 30 years, with one of the city’s two main water systems—the Pirai River—dropping to unprecedented low levels. The drought drastically impacted water production and sanitation, threatening the health and quality of life for Joinville citizens.

Using Bentley's hydraulic modeling application, the CAJ team created a digital twin of the city's water distribution system, enabling advanced modeling and simulation.

With the digital twin, CAJ engineers devised a new contingency plan—at near-zero carbon cost of implementation, no less—that saved BRL 4.5 million, by optimising existing infrastructure and reducing the need for new construction. It helped CAJ understand current system conditions, including flow rates, pressures, and water quality, enabling proactive management and scenario analysis.

Reducing wastage

This helped them identify ways to optimise network efficiency, reduce unnecessary water production by 30% during droughts, decrease water loss by 40,000m³ per month, and minimise water shortage complaints by 90%. Additionally, the project helped cut annual carbon emissions by 169 tons.

By leveraging advanced hydraulic modeling that is integrated into a digital twin, CAJ can now ensure a cleaner, sustainable water distribution to Joinville—meaningfully improving the environment and citizens’ lives.

The Sacramento Regional Sanitation Department began upgrading its water management infrastructure in 2010 to address California’s chronic water shortages. The EchoWater Project, a US$2.1bn initiative managed by Project Controls Cubed (PC3), aimed to meet new discharge standards and provide high-quality recycled water for local agriculture.

The project involved 22 engineering initiatives at an active wastewater treatment plant. A digital twin was used for planning, coordination, and cost control, saving US$400mn, which funded the Harvest Water program. This initiative provided clean water for agricultural and conservation use, irrigating up to 16,000 acres in southern Sacramento County.

Next: The future of water management and why action is needed now

Digital twins can ensure sustainable practices. (Image source: Canva Pro)

Gregg Herrin, Bentley Systems vice president for water, pens a piece on how digital twins can ensure sustainable practices and help conserve water. This is the first in a three-part series of his op-ed, which has been slightly edited for brevity. Read on. 

When thinking about climate change, it is both accurate and enlightening to view the global environmental challenge as, primarily, a water crisis.

Climate change impacts water in several ways: regional droughts, dried-up lakes and riverbeds, torrential rain storms and floods, diminished water quality due to chemical or wastewater runoff, and overall concerns about water security.

These broad and multifaceted water problems are detrimental both to human health and our ecosystem.

As climate change continues to impact our natural resources and weather patterns, the need for sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for water management has never been direr.

Data-driven sustainability

Infrastructure digital twins offer some novel pathways for responding to the current global challenges related to water management.

Technologies such as smart meters, real-time data and predictive analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and digital twins can assist in water management projects through better monitoring and prediction, as well as improved decision-making capabilities, resulting in less water waste and protection against contamination of water supplies.

While other infrastructure areas, such as transportation and energy, have begun utilising digital twins more broadly, adoption has been somewhat slower in water management.

This slower adoption is often due to the complexity of water systems, the need for extensive data integration, and the traditionally conservative nature of the water management sector when it comes to adopting new technologies.

However, there are several key factors that are encouraging a more open stance toward the adoption of new technologies, including digital twins.

These include increasing regulatory and environmental pressures, ageing infrastructure with the need for modernisation, advancements in data collection and analytics, and increased focus on resilience and sustainability.

Proven success from early adopters of digital twin solutions is also helping drive confidence in the technology’s potential.

Check out the second part here.

This LLDPE grade ensures durability and reliability. (Image source: Canva)

OQ, Oman’s integrated energy group, has launched Luban LL-8446.21, an advanced rotomoulding polymer aimed at addressing critical water storage challenges worldwide.

Debuting at Arabplast 2025, the polymer is engineered to produce durable water tanks and storage solutions, with a focus on communities in regions suffering from acute water shortages.

As water scarcity intensifies due to climate change and population growth, Luban LL-8446.21 offers a practical, long-term solution for creating resilient infrastructure. This LLDPE grade ensures durability and reliability, making it a vital resource for water-stressed areas globally.

Rotomoulded articles made from OQ Luban LL-8446.21 provide superior environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) and weatherability, positioning them as a sustainable alternative to traditional materials. This advanced polymer is designed for durability, ensuring long-term performance even in harsh environmental conditions. It is particularly well-suited for critical applications such as water tanks and agricultural storage, offering reliable solutions for water security.

The material’s advanced processing features enable reduced cooking times during production, leading to significant energy savings for manufacturers. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also lowers the carbon footprint associated with production. Additionally, its lightweight and resource-efficient properties help conserve energy during manufacturing, transportation, and installation.

OQ’s Luban LL-8446.21, a versatile rotomoulding-grade polymer with over 100 global customer approvals, has earned a nomination for the 2024 OPAL Best Practices Award for addressing water and food security challenges. Beyond water tanks, the material is used in applications such as traffic barriers, consumer goods, and durable products. OQ continues to innovate with advanced material development to expand its application scope and enhance performance.

“Water scarcity remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and Luban LL-8446.21 reflects our commitment to addressing this issue with solutions that benefit communities and industries,” said Abdul Rahman Al Tamtami, Vice President of Global Marketing at OQ.

“This OPAL nomination showcases the strong impact of Luban LL-8446.21 on both our business and the industries it serves,” said Sadiq Al Lawati, Managing Director of Polymer Marketing at OQ. “It is a testament to our dedication to providing sustainable and high value solutions to our customers.”