Mahtab Barazandeh
By implementing real-time water network modeling, SA Water is strengthening operational resilience, improving decision-making, and supporting reliable services.
Water utilities today face increasing complexity: growing demand, climate variability, expanding infrastructure, and rising expectations for reliability. For SA Water, which delivers essential water and wastewater services to more than 1.8 million South Australians, managing that complexity requires more than traditional planning tools.
At the centre of their digital transformation, which SA Water began pursuing more than a decade ago, is the Operational Control Centre (OCC) – and at the heart of the OCC is live hydraulic modeling powered by Autodesk Water Infrastructure solutions.
“The OCC is the central hub that oversees daily operations of the water network,” says SA Water Network Operations Modeling Engineer Oras Abbas. “The operators monitor key assets, manage flows, pressures, handle faults and alarms, and coordinate responses to keep water flowing to customers.”
This is where digital maturity moves from concept to operational reality.
The OCC: Where complexity meets intelligence
SA Water’s network spans vast geographic areas and serves a diverse customer base. As their infrastructure has expanded and the OCC becomes a big part of their work, so does operational complexity and customer service needs.
“The new infrastructure gives us more flexibility and transfer options across the network, but added more complexity, which meant we needed smarter tools to support operational decisions.”
Traditional planning models are designed for defined scenarios. They play a critical role in long-term strategy, but they don’t always capture real-time system behavior.
“Planning models are usually built for specific scenarios, so they don’t reflect the automatic changes in the network,” Abbas says.
To bridge that gap, SA Water implemented a live hydraulic model using IW Live Pro.
From static planning models to live operational intelligence
With IWLive Pro, SA Water established a live hydraulic model that integrates real-time operational data directly into its network model. This enables the OCC to monitor how the system behaves under actual conditions – not just theoretical ones.
“The live model from IWLive Pro helps to have a live view on the network behavior and understand how the system behaves during incidents, shutdowns, or outages, and supports fast, informed decisions.”
This shift from static modeling to real-time hydraulic modeling allows operators to anticipate system impacts before implementing operational changes.
Running what-if scenarios safely
In addition to monitoring live system conditions, SA Water leverages advanced modeling capabilities to test scenarios without risking live operations.
“The software lets us take a copy of a live network from IW Live Pro into InfoWorks WS Pro to run multi what-if scenarios safely offline.”
This approach enables the utility to:
- Assess operational risk during outages
- Test shutdown strategies
- Evaluate alternative supply routes
- Protect overall water distribution system performance
By combining real-time monitoring with offline hydraulic analysis, SA Water strengthens both operational agility and planning rigor.
Building trust through real-world performance
Technology adoption only succeeds when users trust it.
“Trust came from consistent validation, but the biggest driver was using the model during real outages and incidents,” says Abbas. “Operators and field crews saw how closely the model matches actual behavior and how it helped them prevent risk and test different scenarios.”
This alignment between digital tools and operational reality has accelerated adoption and strengthened collaboration across teams. That collaboration between planing and operations teams is one of the most powerful aspects of SA Water’s case study.
“The model succeeded because operations and planning worked together. Planning teams ensured long-term structure and demand forecasting while operations brought in real-time field insights.”
This integration reflects a higher level of digital maturity, where silos are reduced and shared models support both long-term strategy and day-to-day operations.
Real-world impact during drought conditions
The true test of digital resilience comes during high-pressure situations. South Australia is the driest state in the country, and during unusually dry conditions, SA Water is asked to help the government identify temporary water fill points for properties not connected to the network. The live model plays a crucial role in this task.
“The IWLive model helped us choose locations with adequate pressure, safe physical access, and minimal impact on pumps and storage operations.”
By using real-time modeling, SA Water can respond quickly while protecting overall network performance, demonstrating how digital maturity supports community resilience.
Measurable operational improvements
From the OCC perspective, the results are tangible. “We have seen faster and clearer decision-making, fewer supply interruptions, and stronger coordination between field operators and OCC teams,” says Abbas.
These outcomes are not incremental. They represent a meaningful shift in how the organization operates.
“We are advancing digital maturity by strengthening the tools that support real-time decision-making. Real-time modelling can truly transform how we understand and operate your network.”
Advancing toward intelligent water infrastructure
SA Water’s journey illustrates how utilities can evolve along the digital maturity curve. Since they began their digital transformation, they’ve gone from isolated planning models to integrated, real-time operational intelligence to proactive, risk-informed decision-making. By embedding live hydraulic modeling into its OCC, SA Water has built a foundation for resilient, data-driven water management.
As climate pressures, infrastructure complexity, and customer expectations continue to grow, the ability to understand and operate water networks in real time will define the next generation of intelligent utilities. And for SA Water, that future is already taking shape inside the OCC.
Are you ready for live modelling?
- Want to learn more about how IWLive works? Check out Autodesk’s IWLive learning modules and walk through the app.
- Want to hear from another Autodesk Water Infrastructure customer? Learn how Western Virginia Water Authority makes asset management software work for everyone.
- IWLive can help stop leaks. Read about 3 Steps to understanding water loss and leakage: strategic overview, zonal planning, operations.