GreenBeat

This post is sponsored by IBM’s A Smarter Planet blog.

Much emphasis is being placed on the development of smarter electrical grids. But, in the U.S., little attention has been paid to equally antiquated water systems, which have a major impact on public health. In coming months and years, it would behoove the government and corporations alike to support the creation of a smarter fresh-water grid.

Environmental changes and urban planning are stretching water supplies in the industrial world. In Europe, where the problem is more pressing — considering its proximity to the Middle East and Northern Africa — startups and government incentives are cropping up to confront shortages and contamination.

But in the U.S., we’re seeing the first stirrings of private involvement. Last month, IBM announced that it is working on a suite of technologies applicable to water management. The company says this business could represent $20 billion in revenue in the next five years. IBM will be partnering with Intel to study how IT can be used to make water systems safer and more sustainable.

Adding IT to current water grids will produce an interesting hybrid indeed. Right now, many plumbing systems are so old that they lose 25 to 45 percent of the water they carry. There’s a reason for this: Many cities just don’t have the coffers needed for upgrades.

IBM and others are betting on government subsidies and policies. While there has been a lot of focus recently on biotech companies patenting living filters and other purification processes, IT corporations already have sensors that could be installed to keep real-time tabs on water quality, leaks and supply loads. These capabilities could drastically improve overtaxed water boards.

IBM and others are also working on the software used to receive, organize and make use of the data they collect. Just like smart meters, water meters could soon keep track of consumption, disruptions and possible contamination. Broad deployment of electrical smart meters could even pave the way for water utilities to do the same.

Still, upgrading the water grid may be a hard sell. Water utilities are generally slow-moving and reactionary. Not to mention that improvements would be invasive, and therefore expensive. If no funding comes from higher up, its unlikely cities will change.

But, there are a lot of other incentives for corporations and startups to forge ahead now. So many industries depend on a consistent and pure water supply — agriculture, petroleum, semiconductors — that it’s unlikely the federal government would let a serious problem arise. Beyond that, so much electricity in the U.S. is used to pump water — almost 20 percent in California. This makes water system efficiency central to electrical efficiency, which is the current priority.

It’s good to know that private business big and small is tracking this issue relatively early. But it’s clear, based on the evidence, that the Obama administration needs to take note now. Even if it can’t afford to throw some of the stimulus package funding at the problem, it should start thinking about how and where to get the money required to overhaul America’s plumbing.

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