Issue 1 — Why Blind Spots Were Once “Normal” in Water Operations

In many water and wastewater operations, the challenge was never the absence of systems.

SCADA was already in place.
Pumping stations were monitored.
Operators worked around the clock to keep water flowing and customers supplied.

Yet despite this, operational blind spots were common — and often accepted as normal.

When “Having Systems” Didn’t Mean “Seeing the Whole Picture”

Historically, water operations grew site by site.

Pumping stations were added as demand increased.
Reservoirs, treatment plants, and distribution zones were expanded over time.
Each project solved an immediate need — but rarely with full system-wide visibility in mind.

As a result:

• Pump stations were monitored individually
• Treatment processes were viewed in isolation
• Alarms were handled locally
• System-wide impact was often unclear

Operators could see what was happening at a site, but not always what it meant for the wider network.

The data existed — but it was fragmented.

The Reality Operators Lived With

When an alarm occurred, operators often had to:

• Switch between multiple screens
• Call other stations to confirm conditions
• Rely on experience to judge severity
• Make decisions under pressure, with incomplete context

This was not due to poor practices or lack of effort.

It was simply how systems had been implemented over time.

In many cases, by the time a broader picture emerged, the situation had already escalated — resulting in service disruptions, emergency responses, or customer complaints.

Why Blind Spots Became “Normal”

Over time, these limitations became familiar.

Teams adapted.
Workarounds were created.
Experienced operators learned to “read between the lines”.

Blind spots were no longer questioned — they were managed.

This operating model persisted because:

• Each site worked “well enough” on its own
• Problems were solved reactively, but successfully
• The system rarely failed all at once
• There was no single view to expose the gaps clearly

As long as water kept flowing, the lack of holistic visibility was tolerated.

The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Visibility

While operations continued, the cost of blind spots quietly accumulated:

• Slower incident response
• Higher stress on operators
• Increased reliance on a few experienced individuals
• Reactive maintenance decisions
• Difficulty explaining why failures kept recurring

The organisation functioned — but always on alert.

When the Questions Started to Change

As infrastructure aged and service expectations increased, utilities began asking different questions:

• Is this alarm isolated, or part of a larger issue?
• Why does the same pump fail repeatedly?
• Are we reacting too often instead of anticipating problems?
• Can we see the system as a whole, not just as individual sites?

These questions signalled a shift — not in technology, but in operational mindset.

A Turning Point, Not a Conclusion

Recognising blind spots is not a failure.
It is the first step toward improvement.

Before systems can be unified, analysed, or optimised, utilities must first acknowledge why visibility was fragmented in the first place.

This understanding sets the foundation for everything that follows.

What Comes Next

Before centralised operations or advanced analytics are possible, many utilities must first address what happens on the ground — at pumping stations, remote sites, and field infrastructure.

In the next issue, we explore where digital water transformation truly begins: upgrading pumping stations and field foundations.