New technologies – smart rainwater retention in action!
09/02/2022
New technologies are applied in more and more areas of everyday life. However, as Ecol-Unicon’s CCO, Grzegorz Boguś, argued during the 2021 Stormwater Poland conference, implementation of modern solutions in the water management sector is particularly beneficial to both people and the natural environment. We decided to collect the most important conclusions from his presentation!
Water, the most precious resource on earth
When people think of resources, they immediately picture energy, chemicals and minerals. However, a very underestimated resource is water, whose importance for each of us is absolutely indisputable. So it is worth considering what can be done to make the most of its potential.
This is where new technologies come in. With access to devices that monitor flows or precipitation, we are able to adjust the operation of devices used in the water cycle. Combine this with the ability to report any emergent failures or malfunctions and you have a comprehensive approach to managing the water ecosystem.
How to do smart water management in urban areas?
Swiss scientist Robert Horbaty once created a definition of a truly smart city. It is a place that offers its inhabitants the maximum quality of life while using the minimum amount of resources – thanks to the right combination of infrastructural systems. So it is not only important to manage resources efficiently. It is essential to maintain balance and minimum impact on the environment.
How to manage rainwater?
One of the biggest challenges is rainwater management. In the process of sustainable yet efficient retention management 6 steps can be identified:
- Knowledge of how much rainfall occurs in a given city, for which we can use e.g. the PANDa system precipitation model,
- Water management including information on how water falls and runs off,
- Taking stock of the capacity of retention facilities and reacting quickly to changes,
- Forecasting the weather and upcoming precipitation,
- Collection of precipitation data by means of rain gauges,
- Smart rainwater management using ICT systems, e.g. Bumerang SMART.
Bumerang SMART at the pinnacle of smart retention
Creating a pyramid of smart rainwater retention, at the base we can find all the objects that accumulate rain. Higher up are the devices that allow measurements (for example, rain gauges and probes) and the software that collects data, analyses changes and predicts what will happen in the near future.
Bumerang SMART in practice
Practical application of the described capabilities of the Bumerang SMART system can already be observed in several Polish cities. For example, in 2020 it was introduced in Rzeszów, allowing for smart, automatic retention management. System operation is based on real-time weather forecasts downloaded for a given area. In the case of predicted increased precipitation, the system activates an active mode.
From the onset of rainfall, the water collection process is initiated. It remains active until the storage tanks are filled to their maximum capacity and the excess is discharged into the sewer by automatically opening the discharge valves. The most important thing, however, is that the water accumulated in the tanks can be used at a later time, for example, during a dry period. Dedicated barrel trucks collect the water and distribute it, for example, when watering urban vegetation or washing the streets.
As water is stored in the retention tanks, it is constantly being monitored to ensure that the quality is maintained and emerging contaminants are eliminated. If poor quality is detected, the collected rainwater is drained from the tanks. The system also detects impurities entering the tanks during rainfall. In particular, the system closely monitors the level of oil-derived substances in the water.
Similar solutions are also being implemented in other cities. For example, in Starogard Gdański, the Bumerang SMART system was applied to on an open retention reservoir, together with the necessary sensors for managing, forecasting and monitoring water quality. Another project is being implemented in Chojnice, where an smart management system for an open retention reservoir is also being developed.