We all know that when it comes to urban water resource management, water purveyors must contend with ever-growing demand while also complying with water-quality standards and customer expectations. Add security and energy issues, and the task can, at times, seem insurmountable. But never underestimate ingenuity and common sense—armed with the right tools and the right information, any urban water utility can design a plan and implement a framework to enable efficient, safe, and economical water management.
Last week, I was lucky enough to participate in the WATEC Exhibition Press Tour hosted by NewTech; Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor; and the Israel Export Institute. As part of that press tour of a variety of Israeli energy and water technology companies, I was able to visit the headquarters of Hagihon Ltd.—Jerusalem Water and Wastewater Works Ltd. Hagihon supplies water to approximately 720,000 of Jerusalem’s residents with water gathered from a variety of sources, including recycled water, water produced by one of the nation’s many desalination plants, water from drillings deep into the city’s mountain aquifer, and water pumped across the country from by the National Water Carrier. Hagihon also controls the operation and maintenance of the city’s sewage and drainage networks.
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| Surveying the mountains of Jerusalem |
As anyone who’s stood on the Mount of Olives and stared across the vast metropolis that surrounds the walled Old City can tell you, Jerusalem is a city of mountains. The challenge for Hagihon is finding a way to efficiently deliver water to customers at every elevation—all while managing costs, keeping a close eye on energy consumption, and maintaining the highest level of water security. For Hagihon, that means an urban water resource plan that includes advanced monitoring via SCADA and GIS, a mobile pumping station, a “Decision Support System” (DSS) for monitoring the spread of contamination, advanced leak detection software, the utilization of an unmeasured flow reducer (UFR), and the deployment of a “Smart Pressure Reduction Controller” (SPRC) that reduces pressure and helps Hagihon manage water loss.
It’s clear that the city of Jerusalem exemplifies a number of the challenges familiar to most water resource managers working in an urban environment: mountainous topography, scare water resources, expanding populations, and—above all else—a need for a safe and secure conveyance system. For Hagihon, the combination of technologies to monitor flow and leakage used in concert with state of the art software and monitoring technologies, while also making sure that essential equipment (like that mobile pump station) is in place and ready for deployment, has been an unmitigated success. According to Israel’s Ministry of Health, for the last few years the quality of Jerusalem drinking water has been ranked among the best in country.
And speaking of urban water resource management, I’m excited to announce the latest webinar to be hosted by Forester University, a new endeavor recently launched by Forester Media Inc, Water Efficiency's parent company. The webinar, scheduled for Thursday, August 18 at 2.p.m EST, will be hosted by Dr. Paul W. Lander, ASLA, LEED AP. Lander, a consultant and lecturer associated with the University of Colorado, brings 28 years of experience in the fields of water, energy, and land conservation to his presentation for Forester University.
The webinar, entitled “Introduction to Water Conservation Elements, Issues & Design” will focus on common program and plan elements, issues and design, and water conservation’s role in modern urban water system management.
So whether you need continuing education units or your excited about the opportunity to interact with experts in water resource management, stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, earthmoving activities, municipal solid waste management, or distributed generation and energy efficiency, check out Forester University for access to Dr. Lander’s presentation and a whole slew of other educational webinars on a variety of topics.
For information about Forester University, go to: http://foresteruniversity.net/index.html.
To sign up for “Introduction to Water Conservation Elements, Issues and Design”, go to: http://foresteruniversity.net/introduction-to-water-conservation.html.