Drinking water reservoirs management

Water towers and semi-subterranean tanks can be found throughout the drinking water supply. These raised reservoirs ensure that drinking water is supplied while maintaining a constant pressure to the customers’ taps.

They ensure that there is a water supply based on their capacity. Therefore, even if the pumping and water treatment plants shut down, their capacity allows them to ensure that water is still distributed for several hours or even several days as a result of gravity.

SOFREL remote management solutions ensure the safety of drinking water tanks

The safety of drinking water reservoir, a major challenge

The water reservoirs, highly sensitive, must comply with all laws and regulations concerning the protection of installations from malicious acts. Water reservoirs need to be monitored 24/7 as they are mostly isolated without any people on site.

Our telemetry solutions enable operators to make sure everything is secure, manage on-call duty, and manage access to the reservoirs. In the event of any unforeseen breaches, the telemetry equipment sends alerts to the main station or to the on-call technician’s computer.

In addition to the physical protection of the reservoirs, SOFREL remote stations manage the cybersecurity of the infrastructures and protect against any attempts of cyberattacks.

Find our RTUs for water reservoir management

Managing and automating the filling of the reservoir

The intersite communication function enables two telemetry devices to communicate remotely. The one installed in the reservoir monitors the water levels using a piezoresistive sensor, float switches, or radar probes. When the level falls below the lower threshold, it remotely activates the pumping via the local station at the treatment plant responsible for supplying the reservoir.

Depending on the remaining water volume, the local station can delay the pumping to take advantage of off-peak electricity hours.

The telemetry equipment constantly monitors and logs the reservoir’s water level. It immediately sends alerts in case the level drops too low or an overflow occurs.

If an unauthorized access is detected while the reservoir is being filled, the intersite controller can automatically stop the pumping remotely to minimize the amount of water that may need disinfection or draining. Furthermore, if the reservoir is equipped with electrically controlled solenoid valves, the local station can automatically isolate the installation from the rest of the distribution network.

By acting automatically and without human intervention, telemetry helps to optimise and secure the filling process. Continuous monitoring and M2M communication between the local stations in the reservoir and the pumping station help reduce operating costs by limiting the need for maintenance visits and inspections.

Other benefits of using telemetry for water reservoir management

Monitoring the quality of stored water

Water quality sensors (e.g. pH, conductivity, etc.) can be connected to the telemetry station to continuously monitor the quality of the water being distributed. The telemetry station also manages the chlorine dosing pumps.

Remote reading of district metering counters

At the first level of district metering (DMA), the reservoir’s output meter is remotely read by the SOFREL RTU. The readings transmitted to the operator provide precise tracking of the distributed water volumes. This baseline data is essential for analyzing district metering and detecting leaks in the network.

Discover our solutions to secure and enhance the performance of your installations

Remote monitoring of drinking water reservoirs provides real-time tracking of levels, optimizes filling, and prevents overflows.