Case Studies
Explore a selection of our projects to learn how the digital solutions within the WaterWebTools Platform have been deployed and benefitted water resource infrastructure and water managers in the field.
Our cases
PROJECT RICHLAND-CHAMBERS
Background
The Richland-Chambers reservoir was first impounded in 1987, and now serves as a key drinking water reservoir in Texas that, like many other reservoirs, faces serious eutrophication problems.
Challenge
​Nutrient rich reservoirs often experience frequent blooms of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria and also periods of bottom water anoxia. Periods of anoxia can lead to increased levels of manganese in the water, which can cause problems with memory, attention, and motor skills in both children and adults, when used for drinking water over long periods of time.
Solution
ASAP Rural, ASAP Reservoir and ASAP Live are combined into an integrated digital twin and forecasting solution for the Richland-Chambers reservoir and its watershed.
Benefits
​Forecasts of the hydrology and water quality of the Richland-Chambers reservoir can improve decision making in relation to reservoir operations, and facilitate reduced risk of downstream flooding as well as a more stable and cost-efficient water supply.
PROJECT LAKE ALMIND
Background
Lake Almind is a pristine lake in Denmark with lots of recreational visitors year round. Up to 4000 people may visit the lake on a daily basis.
Challenge
Lake Almind is an important recreational site for the Municipality of Silkeborg, and the area is frequented by visitors for hiking, swimming, and mountain biking. The lake is extremely clear and has very good water quality. Silkeborg Municipality seeks to inform visitors about this unique living system and thereby enable people to preserve its high water quality despite its popular status as a recreational site.
Solution
ASAP Live and ASAP Reservoir is combined to produce real-time and forecasted water temperatures year round. The data is shared via our custom mobile app, and via an on-site digital infoscreen, which also integrates live information from the municipality.
Benefits
Using ASAP Live and ASAP Reservoir, the municipality has increased public awareness about this unique system, and thereby facilitates a sustainable use and preservation of the lake.
PROJECT VEJLE
Background
The city of Vejle in Denmark is an area prone to flooding due to its topography. Vejle is therefore used as a test site for improving flood forecasting as part of the National Center for Climate Research hosted by the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI).
Challenge
The Grejs and Vejle rivers join close to the city center, and due to their steep topography, they oftentimes experience overbank flooding shortly after cloud burst events. This means that historical and culturally important buildings in the city center are at risk, and that irreversible damage at times is caused by flooding events.
Solution
ASAP Rural has been set up, and further developed in collaboration with the core developers at US Department of Agriculture, WaterITech and DMI. Subdaily forecasts of river discharges are produced, and a range of experiments with the scale of weather forecast inputs to the hydrological model are done to improve flood forecast skill.
Benefits
ASAP Rural simulates hydrological forecasts, and provides a unique early warning and planning system. The municipality of Vejle now has the option to make decisions based on the forecasted risk of flooding, and for example operate a lock system installed in the Grejs river.
PROJECT SMARTLAGOON - SPAIN
Background
Mar Menor is Europe's largest salt water lagoon, and is facing serious environmental degradation. It is situated in one of Europe's most important watersheds for horticulture, while also being a hotspot for tourism. It is center for a large innovation project funded by the European Union, which seeks to build a digital twin of the lagoon.
Challenge
Due the intensively farmed watershed and the highly urbanized shorelines, the water quality of Mar Menor has degraded during the past decades. Today, periods of anoxia followed by massive fish kills are common, causing desolation of the local inhabitants as well as the tourism sector.
Solution
ASAP Rural and ASAP Reservoir, based on models built by WaterITech, are combined to provide an integrated hydrological and water quality forecast for the Mar Menor. This effectively comprises a digital twin of both the watershed and the lagoon itself.
Benefits
Forecasts of the water quality in Mar Menor, and particular the risk of anoxia, can inform local authorities, and help them prepare and communicate in relation to periods of potential fish kills. The forecast system also helps raise public awareness of this unique system, and what is driving its water quality.
PROJECT LAKE ORMSTRUP
Background
​Lake Ormstrup is at the core of an intensive research project, which seeks to improve water quality and to better understand lake ecosystem dynamics in high frequency.
Challenge
Lake Ormstrup is an extremely eutrophic shallow lake in Denmark. Blooms of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria are common each summer.
Solution
Lake Ormstrup is being restored by a combination of biomanipulation (removal of planktivorous fish) and sediment dredging. ASAP Live is used to record and follow high-frequency data from Lake Ormstrup in real-time – before, during and after the restoration.
Benefits
​Data recorded and stored via ASAP Live facilitates a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in and affected by the restoration, and will ultimately help evaluate the degree of success of the restoration.
PROJECT LAKE FUGLSANG
Background
​The Municipality of Herning has created this beautiful lake for recreational purposes.
Challenge
Herning Municipality seeks to inform visitors about this unique living system and thereby inform and enable people to preserve its water quality.
Solution
​Data from ASAP Live data is shared via our custom mobile app, and also via an on-site digital infoscreen, which also integrates other live information from the municipality.
Benefits
Using ASAP Live, the municipality has increased public awareness about this unique system, and thereby facilitates a sustainable use and preservation of the lake.
PROJECT SKANDERBORG CITY BEACH
Background
​The Municipality of Skanderborg has recently built this beautiful city beach facility for both summer and winter swimmers.
Challenge
Lake Skanderborg is a city near lake, and urban stormwater runoff may at times affect water quality making it unsafe to go for a swim. Information on water quality is not readily accessible to visitors.
Solution
​ASAP Live is used to share information on water temperatures as well as key water quality metrics collected by the municipality. Live data is sent directly to our mobile app, making it readily available to visitors.
Benefits
Visitors can now easily find the latest information on water temperature and water quality, and decide whether to go for a swim.
PROJECT SILKEBORG SWIMMING SPOTS
Background
​The Municipality of Silkeborg seeks to be the outdoor capital of Denmark. The municipality is rich in hiking and mountain bike trails, as well as a wide range of lakes.
Challenge
It is not always easy to find information on where to go if you would like a swim in a clean and safe place.
Solution
Several of the swimming spots within Silkeborg Municipality have now been integrated into ASAP Live, and data is shared via our custom mobile app.
Benefits
Visitors can now easily find nearby swimming spots, and via ASAP Live find their current water temperature.
PROJECT SMARTLAGOON - SWEDEN
Client:
EU EIC project
Site:
Lake Erken, Sweden
Time:
2020 - present
Model provider:
WaterITech
Background
Lake Erken is home to one of Europe’s longest running lake research labs. It provides a rich dataset and a unique basis for testing and improving water quality forecasting solutions. Lake Erken serves as a test site in an innovation project funded by the European Union.
Challenge
​Quantification of forecasting skill requires onsite data. Many important freshwater resources are greatly understudied. Lake Erken is an exception, as several decades of water quality data is available.
Solution
​The modeling technologies behind ASAP Rural and ASAP Reservoir are tested and improved based on the unique dataset from Lake Erken.
Benefits
​Improved model technology will facilitate improved and more reliable hydrological and water quality forecasts.
PROJECT DASHAHE
Background
The Dashahe reservoir in southern China supplies about .5 million people with drinking water. It has been the basis for a research project by Aarhus University, which applied models to experiment with landuse effects on water quality.
Challenge
​The Dashahe reservoir is an important drinking water reservoir, but is yet facing serious eutrophication problems. Frequent blooms of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria are commonplace in the reservoir. The reservoir is located in a subtropical climate, while the model technologies behind ASAP Rural is most often tested for temperate areas.
Solution
ASAP Rural has been set up and tested for the watershed of the Dashahe reservoir.
Benefits
Tests and in-depth evaluations of the model technology behind ASAP Rural for this subtropical case study showed good performance, and helped demonstrate that the solution is applicable for different types of climates.