Cincinnati's water challenges aren't unique. As Tony Parrott, executive director of Greater Cincinnati Water & Wastewater, explains it, the city is faced with aging infrastructure, combined sewer flows and declining water usage.
But what may set Cincinnati apart is how it is tackling those challenges.
The city is collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies (a subsidiary of Council Global Partner Qualcomm) and CH2M HILL (a Council Associate Partner) to leverage machine to machine (M2M) cellular technologies to improve water quality and receive reliable information for better managing water resources.
Ken Thompson, CH2M HILL's Intelligent Water Solutions director, noted that there are many potential solutions that can address water infrastructure challenges. But he believes that introducing new technologies, such as M2M technology in water and environmental systems will transform the water industry and give utilities, like Cincinnati, a powerful tool to collect, process, and analyze what is happening throughout their water systems.
"This technology being implemented by Cincinnati," Thompson said, "will serve as a model for other U.S. utilities looking to invest in water resources for economic and environmental benefits."
Peggy Johnson, EVP and president of Global Market Development, Qualcomm Technologies said her company's teams have been working to solve both connectivity and communications challenges that are unique to water resource management systems by enabling solutions that are secure, reliable and support long battery life operation.
"Our collaboration with CH2M HILL," she said, "demonstrates our commitment to utilize our robust wireless technologies to provide connectivity solutions to enable smarter cities."
"We need a game changing technology to deliver the kind of exceptional service our ratepayers deserve, and we feel that by investing in machine to machine connectivity solutions we are helping to revitalize our community, create jobs and protect public health," added Parrott of Greater Cincinnati Water & Wastewater.
More on smart water and wastewater technologies…
Case studies
- Itron technology helps Town of Olds recover lost water revenue and achieve conservation goals
- Long Beach Water Department increases efficiency with Wonderware SCADA solution
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Jesse Berst is the founding Chairman of the Smart Cities Council. Click to learn about the benefits you receive when you join the Council for free. Follow @Jesse_Berst and connect on LinkedIn.
