What Is Water Management?

By: WebFx
Post Date: septiembre 2nd 2024

About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Of that, 96.5% is seawater from the ocean. That only leaves about 3.5% fresh water. But not all fresh water is available for use — 2.5% of it is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Some of it is in the atmosphere, and other moisture is in the soil. So the truth is that only 0.5% of all the water is usable, which is why we need to manage it well and ensure we save it.

This water has to be distributed across the globe with sustainability in mind. The rise in population and industrialization results in an increase in water demand. Many industries are implementing water management systems to handle their use and optimize it as much as possible. Agriculture sectors are implementing smart irrigation systems with moisture sensors and automated systems.

Technology is also being used for desalination in areas where access to fresh water is difficult, but there is easy access to salt water. Additionally, wastewater treatment cycling plants enable wastewater to be recycled and reduce demand.

Policies such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) encourage more industries to use wastewater management systems and plants. They aim to promote resource management and sustainability for future generations.

What Are the Key Water Management Strategies?

What is meant by water management strategy? A full, complete water management strategy encompasses the technical aspects of water use for the community or industry and also includes policies and regulations.

• Demand management: Educate employees, the community or the public on water conservation to reduce natural wastage. Resolve leakages, and do maintenance checks frequently. One drip per minute from one tap is a total of half a liter of water a day. That doesn’t sound like much, but over time, that one drip per minute will escalate and deteriorate to maybe five drips a minute. Now you are looking at almost 2 liters per day. A drip a second? Over 20 liters.
• Supply management: How do you manage water supply? One way is with water storage tanks. If you are a large-scale company, you can use bigger tanks. Water storage is always an option, including tanks, rainwater harvesting systems, reservoirs and dams. Treat wastewater to standards that allow its reuse for different purposes, such as irrigation or industrial processes.
• Pollution control: Remove contaminants from wastewater before releasing it back into the environment or municipality resources. Ensure you adhere to regulations to prevent pollution from getting into the natural water bodies.

Water Infrastructure

Water infrastructure technologies have advanced a lot since the traditional systems. Today, there are a lot of water management techniques, such as Smart Water Networks where sensors are used for real-time monitoring and management. The sensors can determine if there are leaks and monitor water quality.

Data analytics can also help with predictive maintenance and show forecasting and how to make everything more optimized. Automated control systems can run the pumps and other infrastructure elements. Modern membrane technologies provide ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

Other types of water management processes have also gained momentum. Biological treatment processes have become more refined with moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR) and membrane bioreactors (MBR) for enhanced water treatment.

The MBBR concept is its plastic carriers or media. The carriers are designed with a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, allowing for dense biofilm growth. The material is usually polyethylene or polypropylene with a protected surface to enhance microorganism attachment and growth.

The biofilm is a collection of microorganisms, mostly bacteria. They are bound together in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which they produce. In the initial stages, the attachment is influenced by the surface properties and the environmental conditions. Once attached, the bacteria begin to multiply and form microcolonies. Once they mature, they allow for the distribution of nutrients and the removal of waste products.

They do this by degrading organic pollutants. Excess biomass on the surface sloughs off due to the continuous movement and forces, creating an optimal thickness.

Water Quality

Why do we manage water? There is a high need to keep water quality at a level where it can be reused and recycled within certain sectors. Water quality is defined by a mix of factors or parameters, including:

• pH
• Turbidity
• Temperature
• Dissolved oxygen
• Microbial contaminants
• Amount of heavy metals
• Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus

Water quality standards are also set up by bodies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and focus on the importance of water management. They have instilled the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, along with other regulations. There are also frameworks available internationally by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Treatment processes are tailored to the specific contaminants and characteristics of the water source. There has to be a balance between effluent quality and nutrient removal. Processes must ensure the wastewater meets the quality standards before being discharged or reused, and prevent excess nitrogen and phosphorus from getting into water bodies.

For example, consider a winery wastewater treatment system. It is estimated that 16 to 20 liters of effluent are created for every ton of fruit crushed for this industry. That is over 130 million liters every year. SSI Aeration, Inc. provides aerobic treatments for these industries in a basin or pond equipped with coarse bubble disc diffusers. The specific nutrients that need to be handled are the salts, organic compounds and bacteria from the winery. Aeration can tackle this with the use of oxygen processing.

Water management also includes floodplain and watershed management. These practices protect water sources to keep their quality and plan for water flow through populated areas with lots of hardscaping. For example, natural water management includes controlling runoff and preserving natural filtration systems such as wetlands.

What Are Water Management Best Practices?

Best practices include getting shareholder involvement and adopting a holistic approach. There is a cycle to water, from beginning to end, from surface to groundwater, through the ecosystems surrounding it. Sustainability needs to be at the forefront with resilient designs and green infrastructures.

Technological advancements also play their role by exploring resource recovery and reducing energy while encouraging water reuse. Consider factors such as risk assessment for climate change and quality monitoring and protection. The biggest best practice you can implement is incorporating policies and creating awareness within your sector.

Learn More About How SSI Aeration, Inc. Can Support Better Water Quality

We employ fully staffed engineering departments specifically to help improve treatment efficiency and meet dictated environmental standards. Contact us today about our solutions and systems for your sector on waste management treatments.