The objective of the project is the optimal utilization of available water resources through the reduction of leaks, ensuring an adequate and high-quality drinking water supply in the internal water distribution network of the closed zone of the city of Argos, managed by DEYA Argos-Mycinae, which currently faces a water deficit. The project aims to achieve efficient operation, water quality assurance, environmental protection, and resource efficiency.
Specifically, through the implementation of the project, DEYA Argos-Mycinae seeks to:
- Provide uninterrupted water supply that meets the specified quality standards within the closed distribution network.
- Ensure the required quantities of water to supply all households in the area under the responsibility of the closed zone.
- Drastically reduce operational expenses through more efficient network and equipment management.
- Ensure the necessary quality control of the produced and consumed water, which is currently not consistently achieved.
- Serve the needs of consumers promptly and effectively.
- Minimize water leakage and wastage, as the area covered by the project experiences a high percentage of leaks and lacks quality control.
- Reduce unnecessary energy consumption required by the current network, boreholes, booster stations, and tanks.
- Adopt a fairer pricing policy based on real data.
- Achieve the above goals in the most cost-effective manner without burdening the network users (end consumers). The project includes equipment acquisition, and the costs will not be passed on to the network users.
With the contribution of the partners, the project will further enhance the early detection of leaks through the development of an intelligent system.
The subproject 1, for which DEYA Argos-Mycinae is responsible, involves the ” Supply, Installation and commissioning of Local Water Leakage Monitoring Stations “.
On the other hand, Laboratory of Climatology and Atmospheric Environment (LACAE) of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) will undertake subproject 2, where initially the development and parameterization of hydraulic modeling will take place and then the development and parameterization of software for monitoring and identifying leaks.
Finally, the last sub-project 3 concerns the Communication Plan of the action.
Expected outcomes of the project implementation include the upgrade of the existing infrastructure of DEYA Argous-Mycinae, convergence of the water balance of the closed zone in the area of Argos, control and limitation of leaks and the improvement of water supply adequacy and quality.
The immediate beneficiaries of the project are the residents and tourists of the city of Argos (specifically 24,000 inhabitants).
Subproject 1: Supply, Installation and commissioning of Local Water Leakage Monitoring Stations.
Within the scope of the action, the procurement, installation, and commissioning of the necessary local monitoring and leakage control stations will be carried out, specifically:
- Electromagnetic flow meters
- Pressure gauges
- Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
- Other hydraulic equipment
The local stations will either be fully energy-autonomous using photovoltaic panels and batteries or powered by the grid. They will perform measurements at least hourly, record data, and transmit the data at least every 4 hours to a central server of DEYA, which will also host the information visualization and leakage recognition platform. Additionally, within this action, the necessary SCADA software package for remote control and integration of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system should be procured.
Work Package WP1: Supply, Installation and commissioning of Local Water Leakage Monitoring Stations.
Deliverable: 1.1. Supply, Installation and commissioning of Local Water Leakage Monitoring Stations.
Subproject 2: Development and parameterization of closed-zone digital twin hydraulic modeling and simulation of the Argos city water supply network and Development and parameterization of leak detection and monitoring software.
Within the framework of Work Package 2, the development and parameterization of the hydraulic modeling and simulation of the closed zone digital twin of the water distribution network is forseen.
The digital twin and simulation scenarios that will be implemented and executed during the project will receive real-time data from the installed sensors. The hydraulic modeling and simulation system will interoperate with the visualization platform, allowing the utilization of simulation scenarios and/or the execution of new simulations if deemed necessary. Reports will be sent to the decision support system for optimal management of the water distribution network parameters.
The provided application should facilitate the completion of all stages of the modeling process, including data preparation for input into the model (based on the US-EPA SWMM5 tool), subsequent data analysis, and presentation of results from the simulation engines. It should receive zone data in near real-time and, after optimization, simulate consumption in a hydraulically sealed District Metered Area (DMA) network.
Work Package WP2.2: Development and parameterization of closed-zone digital twin hydraulic modeling and simulation of the Argos city water supply network and Development and parameterization of leak detection and monitoring software.
Deliverables:
2.1. Development and parameterization of hydraulic modeling.
2.2. Hydraulic modeling simulation and operational scenarios.
2.3. Presentation of hydraulic modeling and user training.
2.4. Software Architecture Design.
2.5. Software development.
2.6. Software configuration and leak monitoring.
Subproject 3: Action Communication Plan.
Within the project, the following activities should be implemented as part of the Action Communication Plan:
- Posting a temporary large-sized sign at the installation points of Subproject 1 equipment, visible to the public.
- Placing a permanent commemorative plaque in a visible location easily accessible to the public, within three months after the completion of the project.
- Promoting all communication and information actions implemented, displaying the emblem of the EEA Grants 2014-2021 program supporting the project.
- Posting project information on the municipality’s website, including a brief description of the project, objectives, and results, highlighting the financial support from the EEA Grants.
- Displaying posters providing information about the project.
- Creating a dedicated website for the project, including project details such as a brief description, progress, objectives, and results, in both Greek and English languages. The website should be regularly updated and highlight the financial support from the EEA Grants 2014-2021.
- Implementing three publicity actions for the project, with a choice among the following options:
- Organizing a conference with relevant stakeholders to kick-start the project.
- Organizing a conference with relevant stakeholders to conclude the project and inform about its results.
- Issuing press releases for the implementation of subprojects.
- Participating in scientific conferences for the dissemination of project results.
- Information dissemination activities through the media.
Work Package WP3: Action Communication Plan.
Deliverable: 3.1. Implementation of the Communication Plan.