Extreme weather events like drought and flooding are creating a dual crisis for our communities. While some regions are inundated with unprecedented storms and rainwater, others face increased competition for dwindling freshwater resources.
The trends of increasing populations and accelerating urbanization are also creating challenges for our cities’ water infrastructure. There is an urgent need to address flood risks, as existing drainage systems are frequently unable to cope with increased runoff and rising demand is putting huge pressure on the critical infrastructure that provides the clean, safe drinking water on which we all rely.
Across the world, water theft is a growing concern and water loss is becoming a significant financial and societal burden, with leaks resulting in trillions of gallons of drinking water lost every year, emphasizing the need for improved, more efficient water management systems.
In most cities, water infrastructure has been in place for many decades and these aging, vulnerable and inefficient systems have not been designed to meet current demands. There is an urgent need to repair, replace and upgrade essential water infrastructure to pave the way for more resilient communities. Thankfully, pioneering innovations in the construction sector are enabling greater water conservation and playing a critical role in influencing the future of our planet’s water management.
Jason Jackson, CRH’s President of Americas Infrastructure Products shares a flavor of the many technologies focused on helping to solve these water challenges.
AI is revolutionizing water conservation
Technology is making a considerable positive impact in the area of water conservation and sustainable management practices. One such promising development is the integration of smart water management systems, which leverage sensors, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and optimize water management. For example, smart drainage systems equipped with digital sensors can respond to real-time climate data and adjust flow rates to actively mitigate flood risk. These systems can now be factored into the design of stormwater infrastructure, maximizing their efficiency and effectiveness.
To help address the widespread issue of water scarcity, CRH Ventures, CRH’s venture capital arm, launched a Water Solutions accelerator; a program specifically designed to identify start-ups with emerging and disruptive new technologies for the water community to partner with and accelerate their development.
This resulted in a series of pilot programs across CRH focused on solving key challenges around stormwater, wastewater and potable water, including a significant investment in FIDO Tech, an AI leak detection software company at the forefront of innovative solutions to minimize water leakage, reduce downtime and preserve valuable water resources. This partnership enables CRH to provide water management insights to utilities and municipalities, improve water resilience and participate in an innovative water replenishment program in the Colorado River Basin.
Leveraging this expertise, Oldcastle Infrastructure, CRH’s leading water infrastructure solutions business in North America, offers CivilSense, an asset management service that enables municipalities to address costly and disruptive water supply line breaks before they happen. Combining predictive and real-time AI-driven analysis, it can detect areas of elevated break risk, enabling cities and towns to prioritize repairs to the right sections of the network, as part of regular upgrades or emergency remediation.
Modern infrastructure innovations tackling water scarcity
CRH is exploring other emerging technologies to revolutionize how we conserve and treat water, including technologies for water treatment to monitor and remove microplastics from the water amongst many.
Coupled with proper water management via an extensive network of durable pipe systems, and proper, easy access for regular maintenance, these technologies provide tremendous solutions for water loss issues around the world, which can revolutionize densely populated areas strained by limited water resources.
Modern rainwater harvesting systems utilize technology to capture, treat and store rainwater. These systems can be integrated into new buildings and outdoor landscapes and provide an alternative water source for irrigation. Additionally, technologies that treat and recycle wastewater are becoming more prevalent, which also helps to reduce the burden on aging sewage systems.
Innovating for flood protection
Today’s stormwater management systems that have been in place for decades are no longer a match for the climate and population growth we are experiencing, resulting in large volumes of stormwater inundating our streets, roads and highways. Combined sewer systems which handle stormwater and wastewater are increasingly at risk of exceeding capacity, leading to frequent sewer overflows and potentially contaminating local water resources. Forward looking urban planning needs to increase the capacity of these systems or implement effective measures to reduce the quantity of stormwater entering these systems.
Perhaps one of the most impactful developments in this area is innovative materials and infrastructure which alleviate runoff and ensure more resilient communities in the face of floodwater. Permeable concrete and block paving solutions, for example, allow water to pass through and infiltrate the ground below, which is an increasingly popular solution to eliminate runoff and prevent flooding. Systems which contain surface water on site, as opposed to draining it off-site are also in increasing demand. And patented biofiltration systems like CRH’s BioPod™ with StormMix™ Media, or Hydro Biofilter™ biofiltration units, feature engineered material that treat pollutants in stormwater runoff and enable the customer to safely infiltrate the water back into the local environment. Such systems filter run-off fast and can be installed in high-risk areas like airports to reduce rainwater efficiently where safety is paramount.
It’s one thing drawing surface water away, to reduce flood risk to communities, businesses and infrastructure, and to prevent the need for costly post-flood repair and remediation. It’s another thing to filter and clean the water, eliminating pollutants and sediment, and achieving optimal treatment of stormwater which could otherwise return to nearby waterways. Innovations like deep infiltration drywells, such as Oldcastle Infrastructure’s MaxWell™, focus on collecting surface water, drawing it away rapidly and restoring water to the water table at speed. What’s more, such systems can recharge water at a depth that means the water in low-lying aquifers is replenished much faster than it would be via natural processes.
All these innovations and breakthroughs represent the future of water-resilient building practices and harnessing such technological advancements will result in more resilient communities and cities that are better equipped to handle future climate risks.
A responsibility to make every drop count
As the construction industry evolves, it must continually adapt to stay ahead of these global water challenges. A number of systems and controls that increase water efficiency are already available. However, despite these advancements, their widespread application remains limited. Solutions including smart irrigation systems, advanced leak detection and water reuse technologies are often underutilized due to the initial cost of investment, a lack of awareness or insufficient policy support, which results in continued water waste. Bridging this divide requires greater investment, education and incentives to adopt the existing innovations on a larger scale.
The path forward requires a commitment and the close collaboration from architects, builders and urban planners early in the design stage to prioritize water resilience in every aspect of design and construction, and a willingness to embrace new technology.
The building materials industry can play a vital role in making every drop of water count and will continue working with authorities to deploy available solutions to deliver water infrastructure that’s fit for the 21st century.