Optimizing Water Systems to Benefit Pennsylvania Communities

In 2022, Farrah Moazeni, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lehigh University, received a PITA grant for a project focused on improving how smart water systems operate in small- to medium-sized Pennsylvania communities.

The research was based on an algorithm that Moazeni and her team developed as an advanced control for cyber-physical systems—systems that use data analysis to manage physical processes. A common example is an office building control system that automatically adjusts lighting and temperature to optimize efficiency.

Moazeni lab-tested her algorithm on several projects but wanted to test it in a real-world setting to "scale it up to an actual water network." This opportunity came via CoStream, an industry partner Moazeni has worked with on several other projects.

CoStream (Berwick, PA) helps municipalities monitor and optimize their water systems. The company installed its supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology into the water-energy infrastructure of Galeton, PA, a mid-sized, low-income community in the state’s Northern Tier. Through her partnership with CoStream, Moazeni was able to integrate her algorithm with real-time data from Galeton’s system. Moazeni says the township is “the perfect size to allow us to test the algorithm's scalability,” and its recent upgrade to a SCADA system enabled real-time data use.

Moazeni’s algorithm has demonstrated benefits for water systems in two Pennsylvania communities—Galeton and Telford—largely based on cost-saving efficiencies. The algorithm “not only improves the water system,” Moazeni says, “it optimizes the scheduling of the pumps.” This approach helps municipalities streamline electricity consumption, saving money on energy expenses.

The algorithm can also save on maintenance and repairs by extending the lifespan of the valves in the water system through smart operation. Moazeni says the algorithm should scale to a larger municipality, though it has not yet been tested.

Hank Hosler, CEO and president of CoStream Technologies, Inc., endorses the project, saying it “fostered strong synergies between academia and industry, enabling us to identify new opportunities to enhance water distribution systems,” and advance applied research in water systems, leading to a scalable system for water-energy systems.

In line with PITA’s mission, the project was squarely centered in Pennsylvania industry and attuned to the program's goals. Moazeni was happy to work with CoStream, a business founded in and operating primarily in the Commonwealth, and to do work that will benefit low-income communities as they modernize their infrastructure. “We wanted to make sure that if a low-income community wants to adopt it, they can do that,” says Moazeni. 

The project also contributes to the development of the Commonwealth’s workforce for both collaborators. CoStream is employee-owned, and Moazeni says this type of project serves as a way for Lehigh undergraduate students to develop valuable skills that can make them more successful in the job market. Hosler notes that the collaboration between CoStream and Lehigh provided “valuable experiential learning for students and practical insights for industry practitioners.”

“I had two master’s students and one undergraduate student supervised by a Ph.D. student who worked on this PITA project with CoStream,” Moazeni says. “They all got a job right after that, and the skills that they used to get those jobs are the skills they used on this PITA project.”

Moazeni says the area of water systems is expanding as data centers, known to be water-intensive, are being developed. “You have tech companies that are hiring water people—they need people who understand machine learning, optimization, coding, things traditionally that only software engineers would learn. These are things they learn by doing these kinds of interdisciplinary projects.”

Moazeni is grateful for the PITA program–not only for the research it allows her to conduct, but also for its help in attracting undergraduates interested in research. PITA allows for demonstration-oriented industry research, which attracts and involves undergraduates. The project ultimately delivers three benefits: solving a real-world industry problem, helping Pennsylvania communities operate more economically, and preparing students with valuable workforce skills.