The New Business Imperative: Optimizing Water Use
Laura Underwood, PhD
September 3, 2025
One major opportunity for businesses is adopting unified platforms that integrate water quality, quantity, and compliance data across the enterprise, enabling smarter forecasting, targeted conservation, and stronger ESG reporting. A strong first step is to inventory how and where your operations interact with water—not just withdrawals and discharges, but also indirect dependencies. From there, prioritize sites based on both business value and local watershed stress to focus efforts where they matter most. Even simple actions like standardizing data formats across sites or automating basic reporting can build meaningful momentum.
Furthermore, these baseline data systems create a foundation on which AI and other automation engines can be layered to improve efficiency and water usage decisions. Other additional enhancements, such as upgrading metering technologies, minimizing non-revenue water loss, optimizing treatment processes, and leveraging visualization tools can also contribute toward more sustainable water use.
If you haven’t started already, now is the time to begin optimizing your organization’s water use to meet the needs of both today and tomorrow.
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About the Author
Laura Underwood, PhD
Locus Technologies
Dr. Underwood brings over two decades of leadership in the water and environmental sectors, most recently serving as Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation at Veolia. She has also held key roles in water utility management, including serving as the Director of Water Quality & Environmental Compliance for a Municipal Water business unit. A long-time contributor to the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and a passionate advocate for digital transformation, Laura has built a national reputation for advancing smart, sustainable water practices across the utility and industrial landscapes.