{"id":2925,"date":"2018-01-10T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-10T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-05-31T16:30:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T23:30:29","slug":"using-azure-cloud-power-to-improve-kansas-citys-water-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/government\/2018\/01\/10\/using-azure-cloud-power-to-improve-kansas-citys-water-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Azure cloud power to improve Kansas City\u2019s water quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andy Shively is on a mission to save Kansas City Water<\/a> ratepayers $1 billion, while delivering environmental benefits and enhancing the lives of those who make Missouri\u2019s largest city their home.<\/p>\n

\"\"It\u2019s a tall order but the special assistant city manager is up to the challenge of directing Kansas City\u2019s largest-ever infrastructure investment, a 25-year program to meet the requirements of a 2010 federal consent decree requiring a reduction in the volume and frequency of sewer overflows. Now entering year eight of the $4.5 billion program, Shively is working toward his objective by implementing a Microsoft Azure<\/a>-powered solution from Opti<\/a>, which specializes in improving water quality, preventing localized flooding and reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs). \u201cIt\u2019s very important that we find strategic, data-driven solutions that provide cost-effectiveness in order to control the amount of rainwater that enters the combined sewer system,\u201d Shively said. \u201cThe hope is to reduce the overall cost of the program by almost a billion dollars over 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last April, Kansas City installed OptiNimbus to automatically control the timing and rate of storm water flowing through its 1.1 million-gallon Gardner Avenue Detention Facility\u2019s combined sewer system, which channels both waste water and storm water through a single pipe, affecting water quality in local streams, rivers and lakes. \u201cWe chose the Opti product and the Azure cloud because it\u2019s a smart, intelligent solution,\u201d Shively explained. \u201cUsing Opti\u2019s logic, tied to real-time rainfall forecasts and automated controls, allows us to manage the rate of discharge from the detention facility much more efficiently.\u201d In addition to keeping rainwater out of its combined sewer system, the Opti solution is helping Kansas City realize cost savings and comply with the City\u2019s consent decree. \u201cWe calculated the cost to implement the OptiNimbus solution at the Gardner Detention Facility at 2 cents per gallon \u2026 and that is an incredible value,\u201d he said, noting that other storage solutions range in price from $3.50 to $8 per gallon or more.<\/p>\n

Andy Sauer, of Kansas City\u2019s consulting partner Burns & McDonnell<\/a>, credited the Opti solution\u2019s automatic management and the Gardner facility\u2019s large scale for driving down costs. \u201cWe took advantage of an existing site that has the land area\u2014a little over three acres\u2014and we\u2019ve been able to maximize the storage at that location,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why our cost per gallon is so much more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kansas City is one of more than 130 Opti installations across 21 states, according to Marcus Quigley, Opti founder and CEO. \u201cWe are the only company in the world that directly controls storm water infrastructure,\u201d he said \u201cWe control, minute by minute, more than 65 million gallons of storage to prevent flooding, improve water quality and reduce combined sewer overflows. Our services that run on Azure control that infrastructure in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"For Shively, who has dedicated his career to providing solutions that are not only cost-effective but will serve Kansas City residents for the next century, it\u2019s critical for utility managers to deliver a return on investment. \u201cIt\u2019s our responsibility to provide transparency to residents and to demonstrate the value of service being provided,\u201d he said. \u201cWe take that responsibility to heart here in Kansas City. The Opti-Azure system helps us make our sewers smart and helps make the lives of Kansas Citians better.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Kansas City is a leader in using the power of the cloud to address its CSO challenges, Opti\u2019s Quigley notes that 770-plus U.S. cities will spend more than $60 billion over the next 20 years to address the same requirement. \u201cWe\u2019re saving money, we\u2019re reducing the cost for compliance, we\u2019re reducing (Kansas City\u2019s) capital expenditure for new facilities\u2014but the unique thing we do: actually reduce the wet-weather flow going into the combined sewer when it\u2019s raining means that the receiving waters are cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft CityNext<\/a> is excited to partner with Opti and empower Kansas City and other cities to become smarter and more sustainable. We look forward to Opti leveraging our secure, trusted cloud for Kansas City\u2019s second implementation later this year and supporting U.S. cities facing similar CSO challenges. Please learn more by visiting:<\/p>\n