DC Water and Xylem Celebrate the Installation of the First Intelligent Wastewater Pumping System in North America

DC Water has a well-established track record of piloting and adopting leading-edge technologies to evolve its operations into smarter water infrastructure for the benefit of its customers and the community.

In the wake of a renewed interest in federal investments in infrastructure, DC Water and Xylem are coming together to highlight the urgent need for investing in smart water infrastructure to maximize operational productivity and benefit customers. In a report released earlier this month, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that the U.S. needs to invest a minimum of $123 billion per year in water infrastructure over the next 10 years to achieve a good state of repair.

In order to advance research and development in the area of smart water infrastructure and advanced data analytics in the sector, Xylem and DC Water today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on future innovation initiatives. The two organizations expressed a commitment to accelerating innovation through field-driven pilots that focus on increasing the productivity of managing water and wastewater and improve the resilience and sustainability of those operations.

“In the U.S., our water and wastewater infrastructure faces a daunting investment gap that places these critical systems at risk and leaves our communities vulnerable to the consequences of system failures,” said Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem. “We are so pleased to be able to partner with DC Water – a true industry leader – to address these challenges, leveraging technology to develop new, more sustainable solutions. Our Flygt Concertor is a great example of the type of break-through technology that we believe will fundamentally alter the way water and wastewater is managed. Working together, we will be able to bring those solutions to fruition even faster.”

George Hawkins, CEO and General Manager of DC Water, said, "At DC Water, we re always looking down the road for the next innovation that will help us do our job better, at less cost. This new technology accomplishes that and I m excited about the implications not just for us, but for the industry as a whole. It s also an important demonstration of partnerships between the best elements of private sector innovation and public sector operational know-how, and I m proud to be on the forefront of this effort."

Mr. Hawkins welcomed Xylem and guests to its Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant today for a demonstration of the Flygt Concertor wastewater technology, which was developed by Xylem in close collaboration with customers. This intelligent, connected solution significantly advances the sustainability of the wastewater sector by consuming considerably less energy, reducing inventory needs, ensuring reliable, clog-free wastewater pumping while also reducing the overall cost of ownership.

"DC Water is working on many innovations focused on leveraging digital technologies to maximize operation and maintenance efficiencies,” commented Biju George, Chief Operating Officer of DC Water. “The Concertor pump will enable us to achieve this not only through the new capabilities of the pump itself but also with the embedded data for efficient asset management."