WEF Formalizes Commitment to Intelligent Water Systems

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), agreeing to jointly promote the development of best industry practices for more efficient and sustainable smart water networks.

The water sector continues to promote and embrace innovation, and smart water networks have emerged as a popular way to use technology to optimize system operations. Smart water networks have a range of applications, from detecting system leaks to managing energy. As technological advancements continue to change the water sector, the qualifications for water sector jobs change too, presenting an opportunity to equip water professionals with new skill sets and knowledge. Through this partnership, WEF and SWAN will continue to advance workforce development.

“Supporting innovation is essential to the water sector, and to further development of intelligent water systems,” said WEF Executive Director Eileen O’Neill. “The memorandum of understanding between WEF and SWAN is the first step to create the kind of collaborative engagement needed for the future of the sector.”

SWAN’s focus on smart wastewater network management enables efficiencies and improvements in three categories: customer, environmental and operational benefits. This complements WEF’s attention on the value of integrating intelligent water practices into the water sector, determining common barriers of implementing intelligent water practices, technology trends and new solutions. This year WEF published “Intelligent Water Systems: The Path to a Smart Utility,” which provides a glimpse into the potential benefits of implementing intelligent water systems and global examples from which the water sector can learn.