Acea for World Energy Saving Day
804,444 analytical determinations carried out in 2023
Have you ever wondered about the overall path your water stakes to you? What processes are involved in the management of water services? From the springs to distribution, from the Water houses to the fountains of Rome, from leak detection to continual quality monitoring, right up to treatment and resource recovery: the range of operations followed by Acea in order to manage the integrated water service concerns the entire supply chain.
The springs from which we draw the water that comes out of the tap in our homes, are located in unpolluted areas: with this in mind, Acea takes care of the natural environment in its areas of operation. Our material and strategic commitment to respect for the environment is reflected in a responsible, efficient use of resources, protection of the sources and conservation of the natural areas where we manage our plants and service networks. We therefore monitor the springs using targeted, satellite surveillance intervening wherever the nees arises.
All this means we can guarantee the quality and integrity of our water resource from its origins. Rome today is one of the few metropolises in the world, that can boast a water resource, which mostly does not require treatment prior to conversion into drinking water, thanks to its excellent quality right from the source. Acea handles resource catchment. What does "catchment" mean? This phase, during which water is taken from the springs and aquifers in the area, is a crucial part of the supply chain. In this context intervention plans cover not only actions to optimise, detect and repair any leaks, but also to put unused sources into operation and especially to upgrade and enhance the safety of existing springs, as in the case of the works to double the Peschiera pipeline.
After having collected the water, it is distributed through a very extensive network of aqueducts and pipelines. The supply system of the entire province of Rome is made up of seven large aqueduct systems which transport water, derived from 14 main supply sources , towards the distribution networks, and from numerous minor local sources, with a total throughput of over 21,000 litres/second.
80, of which 75 are active, are the supply sources for Southern Lazio and the Frosinone area, whereas 1,970 km of water network serve the Province of Benevento.
Most of the aqueduct network is controlled remotely via a remote detection system that provides useful information regarding the state of the network, in order to plan maintenance and upgrading interventions.
Looking to the future, the strategic objectives of the Business Plan include various actions to protect water by improving service quality and efficiency, including the installation of smart water meters, reduction of network losses, the rationalisation of purification plants and network sectorisation. Other fundamental points concern the improvement of technical quality indicators and the safety of the water supply.
804,444 analytical determinations carried out in 2023
Acea Elabori: quality, technology and innovation
Acea Elabori is the Acea Group, company that provides engineering, laboratory, research and innovation services to support our water and environmental activities.
Among the work carried out for the water sector, Acea Elabori is in charge of water leak detection and the division into districts of water networks, combining traditional, fact finding with more innovative techniques, such as remote control. It handles both the acquisition and processing of data for surveys, mappings and the reconstruction of network, aections, and site safety activities.
The company also follows innovative projects, developed via the application of advanced, digital and modelling technologies with a view to process automation and optimisation.
The work of the laboratory deserves a special mention. Equipped with avant-garde equipment and a mobile centre for environmental monitoring, which make it one of the structures of excellence in the sector, the Acea Elabori analytical laboratory carries out drinking water analyses on a daily basis to check the quality of the water Acea supplies to its customers.
Certifications:
For further information on the activities of Acea Elabori, go to the dedicated page.
The integrated water service also includes the issue of containing network losses. In the case of interventions of this kind, the operational teams are mixed, with operators who intervene on-site in constant contact with a remote monitoring team. To make the distribution of water resources more efficient, it is important for Acea to monitor the details of the water districts of the neighbourhoods with its teams, thanks to special tools such as remotely managed pressure gauges.
Acea has always been committed to developing a culture of water by raising awareness among younger generations and involving operators, associations and experts in the environmental and innovative sector. The key word for managing the water cycle through innovation is resilience, in a process that connects citizens, associations and institutions aimed at increasing the awareness that the protection of water is a focal issue not only for the present, but for future generations.
The management of the Integrated Water System ends with the last phase: the sewage and purification system. The water is collected, after it has been used for various civic purposes, through the sewage pipes and directed to the purifiers to transform it from “waste” into a new resource for further uses, such as agriculture.
This is just one of the activities that Acea manages from a circular economy perspective, and is another concrete example of its commitment to protecting and enhancing the water resource at every stage of the supply chain.
1.274 million cubic metres is the total volume of water introduced into the network by the Group in 2023
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