When it comes to advanced wastewater management, there’s no better place to talk about it than the annual WEFTEC® water quality event. Along with over 1,000 other exhibitors, we’ll be there to share and talk about the latest innovations, technologies, and solutions in water and wastewater management.

Consider this your invite to join us at WEFTEC 2024 in New Orleans, October 7-9, 2024, and be sure to swing by Booth 1328 for hands-on experience with MSA Fixed Gas and Flame Detection (FGFD) safety products, which reduce combustion risks for the water and wastewater utilities, as well as FieldServer gateways that enable remote connectivity and real-time device notifications.

Why Water Management and Wastewater Treatment Matter

When it comes to proper water management and wastewater treatment, health and safety are paramount. So, too, is environmental sustainability.

Without the right kind of treatment, wastewater can put public health at risk and damage the environmental ecosystem. Water quality is essential to quality of life. According to the UN World Water Development, global demand for fresh water is up by about 1% per year—but so, too, are water-related disasters like droughts and floods, as well as emerging contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, detergents, and hormones.

These and other factors make safeguarding water supplies to help keep people, places, and the planet from harm an extremely challenging job. Moreover, it’s a job that includes protecting critical water infrastructure from one of another, equally serious threat: cyberattacks.

Fortunately, technology-driven solutions that include remote monitoring and notifications are helping the water and wastewater industry better protect public health and the environment, as well as help prevent threats to our nation’s water systems.

What is water and wastewater remote monitoring and notifications?

When it comes to water quality, there’s always a need to know as much as possible in real time. That’s why water quality professionals rely on advanced technologies like smart, connected devices.

By themselves, however, smart devices are not enough to deliver the insights needed to make proactive, pre-emptive decisions about water quality. With the help of a multi-protocol Internet of Things (IoT) gateway like FieldServer’s BACnet IoT Gateway, water quality experts can have the visibility and control they need from anywhere, on any network, at any time.

How?

By empowering users to remotely access, manage, and monitor devices so they can identify and resolve real issues in real time.

4 Key Benefits of Remote Monitoring

How does remote connectivity and real-time monitoring help with protecting water quality? Fundamentally, it alerts operators to potential threats to not just water, but also water systems, facilities, and personnel.

More importantly, it provides visibility and transparency into water treatment data and information, which is essential to effectively and proactively managing water and wastewater treatment.

Here are four key benefits of remote monitoring in water and wastewater treatment:

1. Enhanced Oversight and Control

Remote monitoring enables quick access to real-time data, providing instant visibility into water quality and equipment issues, including:

• Environmental conditions
• Equipment status
• Performance metrics

2. Increased Efficiency and Streamlined Operations

Remote monitoring supports a wide variety of efficiencies by:

• Eliminating the need for continuous, on-site supervision, especially after-hours and on weekends
• Preventing unnecessary and time-consuming in-person intervention in instances where remote troubleshooting suffices
• Enabling predictive maintenance and automating maintenance, repair, and operations
• Centralizing control of multiple sites and facilities

3. Improved Data Quality and Decision Making

Remote monitoring enables operators to more quickly access and synthesize information by providing:

• Consistent data collection
• Near real-time access to critical information
• Simultaneous tracking of multiple parameters, such as chlorine levels, pH, and pressure

4. Helps Ensure Safety and Compliance

Remote monitoring is key to helping facilities:

• Ensure that water quality meets rigorous regulatory requirements
• Identify and address potential contamination issues as quickly as possible
• Protect on-site personnel from potentially hazardous situations

Should You Upgrade Your IoT Gateway?

If you’re thinking of incorporating an IoT gateway into your system or upgrading from the one you have, here are a few questions to ask:

• Does your gateway seamlessly integrate into your existing systems without expensive infrastructure upgrades?
• Can it collect the right data at the right time and disseminate it to the right people who can make real-time, data-informed decisions?
• Does it enable remote access to water management systems for monitoring, management, and troubleshooting?
• Is it easy to configure?
• Is it compatible with a wide range of protocols, including BACnet and Modbus?
• Does it offer multiple connectivity options to send data to the cloud?
• Can it fully integrate with secure cloud solutions, including MSA Grid, AWS, and Azure?
• Does it store data securely in the cloud for analysis and operational insights?
• Does it incorporate best-practice cybersecurity features to protect both data and systems?

From cloud connectivity to enhanced data integration to scalability to compliance, FieldServer gateway solutions help water and wastewater treatment plants better protect operations, improve efficiency, and save time and money. Visit us at #WEFTEC2024 or contact an MSA Representative to learn more.

Additional Water and Wastewater Resources

Looking to brush up on a few things before the show? Here are some additional articles from our blog: