Keeping a City Below Sea Level Flowing
About
About Waternet
Based in Amsterdam, Waternet is a unique water authority — the only organization in the Netherlands that manages the entire water lifecycle for its region. Serving more than one million residents, many of whom live below sea level, Waternet is responsible for delivering clean drinking water, managing wastewater and rainwater, and maintaining critical infrastructure like dykes, sluices, and canals.
With over 1,800 employees and a landscape where more than half the land is less than a meter above sea level, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Ensuring the safe, uninterrupted flow of clean water is not only essential for public health and agriculture — it’s vital to the very survival of the region.
Problem
Scale and Complexity of a Water-Sensitive Nation
Waternet operates in one of the most water-sensitive and densely populated nations on Earth. The scale and complexity of their responsibilities demand continuous oversight of thousands of diverse assets, including:
- Pumps, trucks, and sensors
- Bridges and sluices
- Monitors, dredges, and valves
- Wastewater and drinking water infrastructure
Historically, maintenance planning was calendar-based, leading to inefficiencies and risks. But with the sheer volume of assets involved — and growing pressures from climate change, urban development, and agriculture — Waternet needed a smarter, more connected approach.
Solution
Managing and Maintaining Infrastructure with Maximo
For over 15 years, Waternet has relied on IBM Maximo Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) to manage and maintain its infrastructure. Maximo serves as the digital backbone of operations, helping Waternet track, monitor, and optimize the performance of assets across their lifecycle.
Working in close partnership with Naviam, an IBM Platinum Partner, Waternet enhanced their Maximo deployment with advanced IoT integrations and predictive analytics capabilities.
Key solution features include:
- Real-time visibility into thousands of operational assets
- Predictive maintenance, based on real-world conditions, not just calendars
- Seamless onboarding of new asset types
- Automatic EAM software updates for continuous improvement
- Data integration from people, sensors, and devices to inform smarter decisions
Result
By deploying IBM Maximo with strategic guidance from Naviam, Waternet has achieved measurable improvements in performance, safety, and sustainability.
Operational Wins
- Shifted from reactive or time-based maintenance to condition-based scheduling
- Minimized risk and asset downtime, ensuring uninterrupted water supply
- Streamlined setup and management of complex asset networks
- Improved decision-making through IoT-powered insights
Business Impact
- Increased system reliability and operational efficiency
- Lower maintenance costs through smarter planning
- Enhanced environmental and regulatory compliance
- A robust, scalable digital foundation to support long-term resilience
In a region where millions rely on secure, managed water systems, Waternet’s EAM transformation is a model for utility innovation and infrastructure safety.
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