Enhancing Capacity Assessments of Water Distribution Networks Using Telemetry Data

<p dir="ltr">Capacity assessments of Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are vital for planning network upgrades and ensuring reliable service and performance. Traditional peak demand estimation often relies on fixed scaling factors that may not correctly reflect the actual consumption dynamics. This study proposes two telemetry-based methods using high-resolution inflow data to better estimate peak demands in District Metered Areas (DMAs). A Distribution Zone (DZ) with three cascading DMAs of varying sizes was analysed using a calibrated hydraulic average day model, comparing Conventional Model (CM) fixed scaling with two tailored telemetry-informed approaches. Results demonstrate that both local and global telemetry-based scaling substantially improve pressure predictions, increasing estimated network capacity from 6 Domestic Equivalents (DE) in the CM to 28 DE and 35 DE using local and global scaling, respectively. This improvement leads to significant reductions in required reinforcement costs up to 64% with local scaling and 58% with global scaling. These findings highlight that integrating real-time telemetry enhances pressure forecasting accuracy, enables more efficient network management, reduces overdesign in suggested reinforcements (in this case study), and provides a more reliable assessment of capacity for future developments.</p><p dir="ltr">This paper was presented at the 21st Computing and Control in the Water Industry Conference (CCWI 2025) at the University of Sheffield (1st - 3rd September 2025).</p>