Real-Time Watershed Control
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
To reduce flooding and improve water quality, Professor Branko Kerkez and his team are using autonomous sensors and valves to create “smart” stormwater systems. In collaboration with social scientists, engineers, and local officials and residents, Kerkez is working to discover adaptive, real-time ways to reduce flooding forecasting, and improve water quality.
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Principal Investigators
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Other Contributors
School of Suitability UoM
University of Tennessee
University of Virginia
City of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Huron River Watershed Council
Metrics
Funding Sources
National Science Foundation
Great Lakes Protection Fund
Great Lakes Water Authority
About the Project
Leveraging recent advances in technologies surrounding the Internet of Things, “smart” water systems are poised to transform water resources management by enabling ubiquitous real-time sensing and control.
Recent applications have demonstrated the potential to improve flood forecasting, enhance rainwater harvesting, and prevent combined sewer overflows.
Kerkez has founded Open-storm.org, an open source consortium dedicated to promoting education and uptake of smart water systems.
Working with social scientists, engineers, and local officials and residents from four communities, Kerkez is looking to bolster the ability to withstand and limit the damage from severe weather. Participating communities are Ann Arbor; South Bend, Indiana; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Knoxville, Tennessee. Currently, Ann Arbor is serving as an experimental "smart" watershed.
The stormwater system features between 10 and 20 sensors per square mile in its system, and testing is already underway. Sensors measure the quality of the water, as well as how much of it is flowing through the system at any given time, and other variables.
Project goals include answers to the following questions:
- How can real time controls in stormwater systems improve performance?
- What barriers are there in the public perception of "smart" stormwater systems, and how can we overcome them?
- How can technology be developed and implemented to allow large cities, such as Dallas and Houston, to control flooding and water quality in real time?
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Learn MorePrincipal Investigators
Branko Kerkez PhD, MS
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Branko Kerkez an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at the University of Michigan. His research interests include water, data, and sensors. He heads the Real-time Water Systems Lab, where his group is presently conducting fundamental research on “smart” water systems. Dr. Kerkez is the founder of Open-Storm.org, an open source consortium dedicated to freely sharing technologies and lessons for the sensing and control of water systems. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, all from UC Berkeley.
Recent Projects
+ Improving Water Quality in Ox Creek
+ Demonstration Project for Real-Time Stormwater Control in Southeast Michigan