Project
Prolagos is a subsidiary of Aegea Group that is responsible for providing water and sewerage services to five municipalities in Região dos Lagos, Rio de Janeiro. The Prolagos Water Master Plan 2041 aims to present cost-effective alternatives to expanding the water supply system for Região dos Lagos, a bustling tourist region, over short-, medium-, and long-term periods. Major challenges of the expansion include the transportation of water to the region from a fresh water source more than 50 kilometers away, and accommodating huge seasonal population fluctuations and increased water demands during the height of the tourist season.
The key goals for this BRL 187 million project are to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent and reduce non-revenue water from 45 to 25 percent, and provide stakeholders with a return on their investment.
Solution
Prolagos used WaterGEMS to integrate data from all devices and instruments in the water network to develop a highly calibrated model. The team modeled more than 50 scenarios in order to make collaborative decisions about designs for the supply and distribution system.
Outcome
Based on the WaterGEMS modeling results, Prolagos selected an expansion plan that reduced energy consumption by 59 percent and generated an annual cost savings of BRL 17 million. The design improved network efficiency and increased water supply from 91 to 98 percent for its residents. During tourist season, the population fluctuates from 400,000 to nearly 2 million people. Despite these challenges, Prolagos was able to demonstrate a significant return on investment for this project of 323 percent.
Software
WaterGEMS was the primary tool used to develop the Prolagos Water Master Plan 2041. The WaterGEMS hydraulic simulator presented a user-friendly view that facilitated understanding among system operators. It became a collaborative tool for operations and engineering teams to evaluate scenarios and make short- and long-term decisions to optioneer the most cost-effective scenario.