He envisions water distribution systems evolving into smart networks like the electrical grid.
Nathan Lunstad, a Civil Engineering doctoral student and Sustainability Lab member, successfully defended his dissertation on July 30.
Nathan, who is also the director of the Utah Division of Drinking Water, outlined a vision for coordinating water supply and demand in ways that benefit both the utility and the customer. A key piece of the vision is expanded use of smart irrigation controllers, which his review found can reduce water use by 15% to 40%. He tested the idea with a hydraulic modeling study to confirm benefits in reducing overall water volume as well as reducing peak water demand, energy use, energy cost, and pressure problems.
Smart water technology is abundant, Nathan says, but it has a long way to go in solving certain water crises. Creating "integrated water distribution systems" like the ones he envisions is the natural next step. He compares the end goal to the hydraulic equivalent of a smart electrical grid. Such systems combine technology, infrastructure, cloud services, and environmental justice for improved decision making about water management.