Success Story | Prolagos Water Master Plan for the Região dos Lagos

Bentley Expert
Jun 15, 2022 2:25:39 PM

Prolagos

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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 freshwater 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.

Facts

  • Energy savings and revenue gains delivered an ROI of 323 percent.

  • Calibrated hydraulic modeling allowed Prolagos to select the alternative that meets demand while providing more cost-effective investments, lower operating costs, and revenue growth.

  • The planned improvements will increase water pressure and adduction flow. The more standardized water distribution will provide better quality of service.

  • Benefits to the region include more regional development, and improved public health and quality of life.

 

quote“The challenge of water utilities in the 21st century, especially in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries, is to be able to respond quickly to the increase of water demand due to population growth in a more efficient way and with a sustainable approach. Therefore, the use of tools such as WaterGEMS allows the companies to integrate the entire water network database available (including field data) and obtain the best scenario—the one that optimizes the water distribution and decreases energy consumption of the system."

Wagner Oliveira de Carvalho
senior project manager
Prolagos / AEGEA

logo-prolagos 
Water and Wastewater

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