Veolia and New Orleans Launch First Digital Control Center for Wastewater Treatment in the U.S
The control center is the first location in the United States to use Veolia’s Hubgrade suite of digital tools for wastewater treatment, which have successfully been deployed in other global cities to provide advanced monitoring and control systems.
www.veoliawatertechnologies.co.uk
Veolia Project Manager Erick Gomez demonstrates the Hubgrade digital solution in the new control room at New Orleans’ East Bank wastewater treatment plant for, from left to right, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Executive Director Ghassan Korban and Veolia North America CEO Frédéric Van Heems.
- Veolia North America, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans unveil Hubgrade center for digital management and control of wastewater treatment, a first in the U.S.
- Hubgrade combines Veolia’s water and energy activities to improve environmental quality while cutting costs, reducing emissions and enhancing long-term sustainability for New Orleans
- These achievements exemplify the goals of Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy, which strives to lead the ecological transformation of the planet by accelerating water quality improvement, decarbonization and technological innovation
Veolia North America has joined New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Executive Director Ghassan Korban at the city’s East Bank wastewater treatment plant to open a new digital control center that will for the first time use advanced data collection and analysis to improve how New Orleans treats its wastewater, protects public health, improves environmental quality and advances its smart city goals.
Veolia has partnered with SWBNO for 31 years to improve the city’s wastewater treatment system, and recently renewed their partnership to reimagine how the city treats and manages its wastewater.
At a ribbon-cutting event in the new Hubgrade control room, Cantrell, Korban and other community leaders joined Veolia for a demonstration of how the digital system works, featuring a map-based interface that shows operators key performance indicators and simplifies complex processes.
Digital solution offers transformative tools for wastewater treatment
Hubgrade combines digital tools with human expertise to continually collect data from wastewater treatment, analyze it with proprietary artificial intelligence systems, and use those findings to make operations more efficient and effective. Its centralized secure data platform brings together information about chemical use, energy consumption, weather-related and seasonal variations, and process performance for dynamic monitoring and advanced analytics. Reports that previously took hours to compile are now available with just a few clicks. AI tools can detect subtle operation changes over time and identify potential energy savings across all operations.
Long-standing partnership brings real benefits to New Orleans
The partnership between Veolia and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has rebuilt and sustained the city’s infrastructure at both of its wastewater treatment plants. This collaboration has improved water quality, boosted operational efficiency, and fostered community engagement on ecological issues and climate change. These achievements exemplify the goals of Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy, which strives to lead the ecological transformation of the planet by accelerating water quality improvement, decarbonization and technological innovation.
In addition to improving daily wastewater treatment operations while strengthening long-term capacity, function, and resilience, Veolia has provided extraordinary operational support during hurricanes and natural disasters, such as when wastewater treatment plants were devastated by Hurricane Katrina and later by Hurricane Ida. Veolia drew on its global resources to restore service for residents and recover from the damage without waiting for federal assistance.
As part of its support for community and educational efforts in the city it serves, Veolia has created community, educational and environmental initiatives across New Orleans, including working with the New Orleans East Festival, Joe W. Brown Memorial Park, the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail, Delgado Community College, the Southern University System, and neighboring high schools.
Earlier this year, Veolia and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans renewed their partnership with a new five-year agreement to include Hubgrade digital monitoring as well as a new sludge treatment system; new pumps and equipment at both East Bank and West Bank plants; and a new oxygen system that will save $2 million a year, reduce chemical costs and power use by at least 10%, and eliminate an estimated 12 metric tons per month of carbon emissions.
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