Digitally transforming water supply and treatment plants can elevate the water and wastewater sector’s operational effectiveness for increased sustainability, says energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa software leader Johan Potgieter.

In South Africa, the provision of essential water and wastewater services is significantly challenged, while rapid population growth and urbanisation boost demand, owing to ageing infrastructure, rapid technology change, industrial shifts, increasingly stringent regulations and intensified environmental concerns about water treatment systems, he notes.

“Ensuring environmental compliance to public health and water quality standards while delivering efficient and sustainable operations is a necessity for water and wastewater operators. In fact, the water industry already accounts for 7% of industrial energy consumption and only 0.5% to 1% of the earth’s fresh water is freely accessible, so conserving this scarce and vital resource is critical.”

Disruptions and demand shifts will continue to arise as service providers must run ever more resilient and sustainable water treatment operations, but telemetry offers workable solutions to utilities and water infrastructure operators.

Telemetry solutions can address the water and wastewater sector’s challenges by focusing on three key water subsegments: water resources, water networks and wastewater networks.

A complete, integrated sensor-to-enterprise solution will go beyond addressing the most challenging remote monitoring and control applications, and help utilities and operations manage and run secure and reliable water infrastructure, says Potgieter.

“Digital technology connects and improves the full life-cycle management of water treatment systems, which results in superior operational efficiency, increased sustainability and enhanced water process performance.”

A fully integrated remote supervisory control and data acquisition solution for water and wastewater networks, with ready-to-use telemetry features, can reduce operating expenses through fewer on-site visits, an increased monitoring area, and optimised maintenance efforts with integrated features to support operators and maintenance staff.

The comprehensive and centralised management of controllers, wireless communications, and data-logging functions, as well as a complete historical record with industry-standard and open protocols to support data analytics, also assist in this regard.

Zandvliet Expansion

Schneider Electric is supplying numerous solutions, including smart automation controllers and motor management systems, to aid the expansion of the Zandvliet wastewater treatment plant, in Cape Town.

The wastewater treatment facility is expanding its capacity from 72 000 m³/d of effluent to 90 000 m³/d to support the city’s growing 3.74-million population, which is increasing by 2% a year to 3% a year.

The solutions supplied by Schneider Electric are aimed at increasing Zandvliet’s efficiency, digitising its systems and reducing operational costs, the company stated in a press release in April.

Scheduled since 2010, the plant expansion will include the construction of a new wastewater pumpstation, various primary settling basins, disinfection facilities and drying facilities for dewatering sludge. The final commissioning of the new plant is expected to take place in December 2023.