Located in southern Brazil, Joinville is the largest city in the state of Santa Catarina. They recently experienced their worst water crisis in 30 years. Responsible for supplying water and sanitation services to approximately 600,000 residents in the municipality, CAJ initiated a project to develop a contingency plan to maintain water supply during worsening drought conditions. The water supply is split across two production systems with the Cubatão system accounting for approximately 74% of the output, and the Piraí system accounting for 26% of production. A strategic hydraulic simulation project for the water supply system was implemented in 2020. The project aims to direct investments in a more assertive way to optimize operations, understand how the supply system works, and identify potential problems to propose and implement solutions in advance. CAJ evaluated three alternatives in the preliminary study. However, their initial solution yielded insufficient flow transfer, water shortages at the weakest points in the supply system, and a reduction in water transport efficiency. As a result, they needed to implement a more comprehensive study of the municipality’s entire network.

CAJ used OpenFlows WaterGEMS to create a digital twin of the distribution system, modeling 285 kilometers of network. Using the hydraulic model to simulate a new contingency plan, they determined an optimal solution that guaranteed supply in the event of severe drought, while saving approximately BRL 4.5 million compared to their original proposal. The Bentley-based scenario improves flow efficiency, reduces pumping costs, and cuts energy consumption by 574 megawatts per year. Upon project completion, Joinville residents will have access to safe, potable water when critical drought situations occur.