The water sector is facing increasingly complex challenges, from extreme weather events to aging infrastructure, regulatory constraints, and rising consumer demand. These pressures make it essential to harness available data to enable a "smart water" approach to operations and consumer-facing services.
Our team offers a range of "smart water" solutions and services—from technology design and implementation to asset management platforms—all designed to help industry clients optimize operations and offer a better service to end consumers. These bring greater digital capabilities to everyday issues like sewer infiltration, energy use, and flood and drought preparation.
How we can help you
Environmental forecasting
Our data-driven modelling capabilities use machine learning to predict network performance, rainfall impacts, and catchment responses, enabling early warning systems and targeted mitigation measures.
Environmental forecasting
Using machine learning, we help utilities predict and respond to floods, droughts, and water quality issues early and efficiently.

The ability to forecast events such as flooding, droughts, and related water quality challenges is vital if utilities are to respond in a timely and cost-effective way. Our data-driven modeling capabilities use machine learning to predict network performance, rainfall impacts, and watershed responses, enabling early warning systems and targeted mitigation measures.
Forecast water quality
We help clients predict water quality changes, such as the nutrient dynamics in rivers, by using machine learning to identify patterns that humans would not detect. This enables operators to proactively manage inflows to treatment plants, and they can adjust treatment processes ahead of time with greater confidence.
Manage water resources
We take client data and produce advanced forecasting, scenario modeling, and system optimization to enable our clients to make data-driven decisions about the water supply. For clients managing flood risks or trying to anticipate supply and demand issues, these tools and insights will be of growing value. And this ability will only become more vital as climate change impacts intensify.
Managing flood risk
Our watershed-scale flood risk solution produces real-time forecasts using machine learning to identify patterns in key factors like the water level in rivers. The resulting predictive insights give decision-makers more time to inform operational decisions and coordinate incident response, enabling early action by our clients.
Asset insights
We transform operational data like pump run times, asset energy usage or maintenance schedules into operational insights that drive improved efficiency, lower CO2 emissions, and wider data-led decision-making.
Asset insights
We turn operational data into insights that help the water sector optimise asset performance, reduce emissions, and make smarter, data-led decisions.

The water sector relies on a huge range of high-performance assets and retaining a clear understanding of their operational status, performance and lifespan is a key priority. We transform operational data like pump run times, asset energy usage or maintenance schedules into operational insights that can drive improved efficiency, lower CO2 emissions, and wider data-led decision-making.
Asset optimization
To improve the performance of water assets, first we need to identify the potential of its available data. By establishing a strong data foundation, we can also develop digital twins of assets and systems, enabling a greater level of operational control.
Predictive maintenance
We unlock the potential of your operational data to anticipate failures before they occur. By using technology, we can understand patterns of behaviour and provide predictions of when assets require maintenance, rather than waiting for a maintenance schedule. This approach supports reliable service delivery, reduces unplanned outages, and extends asset life.
We can transform the way in which clients manage water recycling sites by providing predictive analytics for biofilters. We support clients with enhanced operational visibility of their assets and data driven proactive interventions to keep the filters in service.
Investment prioritization
We use data to identify where investments will deliver the greatest impact, helping operators to manage risk, and build a stronger business case.
Investment prioritization
Helping operators maximise investment impact, manage risk, and justify decisions with data.

We use data to identify where investments will deliver the greatest impact, helping operators to manage risk, and build a stronger business case.
Sewer Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)
Our smart water approach combines advanced technology with deep domain expertise to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in wastewater networks: sewer inflow and infiltration (I&I). Using AI- and ML-powered algorithms, we analyse large volumes of network and flow data to detect patterns, identify anomalies, and quantify infiltration impacts. These insights are delivered through intuitive dashboards and visualizations that support operational teams and asset managers in targeting interventions, prioritising investment, and reducing long-term risk.
In our latest client project, we use our own machine learning powered analytics tool to tackle sewer infiltration for Severn Trent Water, using existing network data to pinpoint high-risk areas and prioritise interventions. This approach reduced manual analysis, unlocked cost-saving opportunities, and demonstrated how smart analytics can future-proof wastewater networks at scale.


Our smart water services help clients optimise operations and enhance service across the water value chain.
Want to know more?
Learn more about our work across the water market and discover how we can help you.
Get in touch with our team
Projects
Discover our latest work:

Using AI to uncover and prioritise Inflow and Infiltration reduction opportunities
Addressing Inflow and Infiltration with Severn Trent Water in Gloucester, United Kingdom

Creating cool and green streets with spatial data
Strategic Prioritisation Map for Water Sensitive Urban Design, Australia

Using geospatial and water expertise to inform onsite wastewater treatment system planning
Sonoma County Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Mapping & Analysis Study, USA

Keeping Victoria’s waterways healthy with optimised stormwater management
Feasibility of stormwater flow regulation, Australia
Experts
Contact our team today:

Vikki Williams
Director
Vikki Williams is Arup’s Digital Water Leader in the United Kingdom, India, Middle East and Africa region.

Vikki Williams
Director
Vikki Williams is Arup’s Digital Water Leader in the United Kingdom, India, Middle East and Africa region.