Melbourne Water Saves 2 Billion Liters Per Year with Model Predictive Control

Melbourne Water needed to optimize water distribution operations to reduce water losses and improve regulatory compliance performance. Traditional rule-based control of the distribution system could not optimize the complex interactions between reservoirs, pumps, and demand patterns.

Rockwell Automation implemented Model Predictive Control (MPC) for Melbourne Water's distribution system, using advanced algorithms to optimize system operations across multiple time horizons. The MPC system dynamically adjusted pump scheduling and pressure management to minimize losses while maintaining supply reliability.

Melbourne Water achieved savings of 2 billion liters of water per year through MPC optimization. Regulatory compliance performance improved by 10%, demonstrating that operational optimization and compliance improvement are achievable simultaneously.

Model Predictive Control in water distribution delivers water savings at scales that dwarf what incremental operational improvements can achieve, with 2 billion liters per year representing meaningful impact on regional water security. A 10% compliance improvement alongside 2 billion liters of water savings demonstrates that MPC optimization is not a trade-off between efficiency and regulatory performance. Water utilities that implement MPC create a sustainable competitive advantage in operating efficiency that manual and rule-based approaches cannot replicate.