IBM invests $20 million in new water technologies initiative in Southern Ontario

Between 20 and 50 per cent of the water that's pumped into our water system leaks out; building a smarter pipe and grid could be one of Southern Ontario Water Consortium's goals.

A multimillion-dollar venture dedicated to the development of new water technologies has been set up in Southern Ontario. The Southern Ontario Water Consortium consists of more than seventy companies and eight universities, with the mandate to develop and test new ways to treat wastewater and manage ground water. The goal is to develop the technologies, test them, demonstrate them to potential buyers and build the products in Southern Ontario to sell to the world.

The Platform includes facilities for the testing and development of drinking water solutions, wastewater purification, ecotoxicological analysis, watershed management, and sensor development. Research facilities at the universities are augmented by mobile field units that will deploy throughout the region as needed.

All facilities are linked through a computational and data facility invested by IBM and installed at the University of Toronto. The IBM investment in the program is $20 million. The backbone of the project will use IBM's POWER7, the technology IBM developed for the Watson program, made famous on the television program Jeopardy.

The project is expected to spur the development of new technology and new knowledge-based jobs. Ontario is seen as becoming a global player in the development and commercialization of innovative water technologies, at the forefront of research and development in this area. A spokesman for IBM said the goal is to be, "in a few short years, the place where the world buys its water management technology."

Using real-time advanced analytics systems, it is possible now to track and report on the condition of such infrastructure as water pumps, filtration systems and pipes. Monitoring these systems can prevent hazardous sewage overflow, burst watermains and leaks, thus increasing the supply of usable water.

The Platform involves eight universities: Western, sir Wilfred Laurier, Guelph, McMaster, Toronto, Ryerson, UOIT, with the University of Waterloo as the lead. More than 70 companies are associated with the platform. Among those companies are IBM, the lead private sector investment partner; Trojan UV; GE Water; Solinst; Geosyntec; Purifics, Aracadis; NIR Science Corp; and Siemens. The Cities of London and Guelph together with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo are major supporters as are other municipalities across Southern Ontario.