The core issues relating to the drinking water treatment plants include many aspects such as health risk related to emerging parameters (chemical and microbiological), NOM removal, advanced treatment processes for new micro-pollutants removal, application and case studies and solving operational issues, as well as using smart tools for analyzing plant data.
Anticipation of the water quality regulations and implementation of the Water Safety Plans is a key priority for adapting the WTP existing infrastructure and operational practices to ensure compliance with the future requirements. The trend to digitalisation in our life offers new opportunities for optimization of the plant operation and enhances plant management (chemicals dosing, workforce management, and energy optimisation). Big data and the numerical technological revolution (connected objects, Internet of things, sensors and IT smart platforms) will impact and transform the way we will operate our plants in the future. Examples on issues important to our water future include, such as
- low cost desalination
- biological processes for water treatment
- water quality compliance
- asset management
- smart operation tools
- arsenic issue
- solutions for the developing countries
- emerging pollutants : how safe is safe (joint action with Water & Health SG )
- decision support and plant control
- HR issues: Operational Expertise and skills, how to do capacity building
- power consumption and energy management, life cycle costs
The specialist group on design, operation and maintenance of drinking water treatment plants can enhance networking and exchange of practices and experience on operational issues for those involved in the design and operation of drinking water treatment plants, and contribute to better understand the operational needs (ex. in terms of Training) and help solving operational problems. Ideas on what the group can do include:
- Create a virtual community and a website for communication
- Organise a Workshop on Operational Plant Data management (what kind of data is used and why, how to use the plant data, what are the operational needs?)
- Send a list of peer relevant questions to better know the concerns
- Coordinate the link with the other water quality groups and map
- Support from IWA to publish a vision document in Water 21 and talk to AWWA to get more involvement from North America
