New Mexico partners with Google to identify underground water leaks | New Mexico

(The Center Square) – The New Mexico Environment Department, Google Public Sector and Woolpert Digital Innovations this week announced a new initiative called Hydro Delta.

The initiative will use satellites and artificial intelligence to identify Water leaks, mostly underground.

Using the technology, NMED can provide municipal entities with reliable and accurate data to improve their water management, saving them millions of dollars and gallons of water, according to an NMED press release.

“Hydro Delta is a game changer for New Mexico's Drinking water, especially in the systems serving rural areas in New Mexico,” Said Environment Minister James Kenney. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's With the 50-Year Water Action Plan, our state is taking the lead in protecting our most precious resource in the face of climate impacts that threaten our water security..”

New Mexico has water systems where 40 to 70 percent of treated water is lost due to leaks, mostly caused by aging infrastructure.

“TThese leaks are often extremely difficult to locate and resolve, especially in small, rural communities with limited staff and resources,” says the press release. “Hydro Delta supports communities with timely and hyperlocal insights from millions of satellite images.”

Woolpert has Google's Earth Engine creates a platform for continuous change detection. It monitors various water indicators such as soil moisture, vegetation health and temperature and looks for anomalies that people cannot easily observe. These anomalies are then displayed in an interface that is accessible to decision makers.

“EAccess to clean, reliable drinking water is a priority for every state, and Hydro Delta presents New Mexico's innovative leadership in using AI to protect this critical resource,” Brent Mitchell, vice president of go-to-market at Google Public Sector, said: “Together with Woolpert, we are proud to drive this initiative with Google Earth Engine and our Cloud AI technology to improve the overall sustainability and quality of State Water systems.”

NMED said Hydro Delta played a role in “Information on inspection strategies for leaky systems, minimizing costs and search times,” according to the press release.

As soon as someone discovers a possible leak, NMED staff notifies one of the State 1,100 water systems for investigation.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill provides low-interest loans and grants for water systems. These include grants and loans to replace lead pipes, remove PFAS chemicals from water infrastructure, and for general system updates. Federal funds create more opportunities for communities to repair local water systemssays the press release.

“Woolpert is excited to partner with Google Public Sector and the New Mexico Environment Department on this groundbreaking initiative.” said George Azzari, Director of AI at Woolpert Digital Innovations. “By leveraging our advanced geospatial expertise and Google's With its cutting-edge technology, Hydro Delta is poised to revolutionize the way we identify and fix water leaks throughout the countryThis tool is a testament to our commitment to developing innovative solutions to protect our most valuable resource.”