- Published in IndustriAmbiente Magazine
In a world increasingly shaped by climate change, urban growth, and rising industrial demand, water has become one of the most critical strategic resources for both businesses and public administrations. Industries such as food and beverage, energy, manufacturing, mining, and data centers all depend on reliable and secure water supplies to ensure operational continuity. Yet pressure on freshwater resources continues to intensify.
Many regions around the world are already facing structural water stress. More frequent droughts, aging infrastructure, and water losses across distribution networks are worsening a challenge that affects both communities and industries alike. According to international organizations, a significant share of treated drinking water never reaches end users due to leaks in water distribution systems. In several European countries, including Italy, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Romania, water losses exceed 40% of the total volume introduced into supply networks. This highlights the enormous challenge of modernizing aging infrastructure and improving water management efficiency.
Against this backdrop, the concept of water replenishment projects is rapidly gaining momentum. These initiatives aim to return more water to nature and local communities than companies consume through their operations, creating a positive water impact. Beyond internal efficiency measures, replenishment projects represent a major evolution in sustainable water management: the goal is no longer simply to use less water, but to restore, conserve, and recover water resources at a broader territorial scale.
From water efficiency to water positive
For years, corporate sustainability strategies primarily focused on reducing consumption and improving operational efficiency. While these efforts remain essential, many leading companies are now moving toward more ambitious goals, including becoming water positive.
Being water positive means replenishing watersheds and communities with an amount of water equal to or greater than that used in direct operations. To achieve this, companies are investing in ecosystem restoration, aquifer recharge, water reuse, and urban water loss reduction projects.
In this context, leak detection and water loss reduction initiatives have emerged as some of the most efficient and measurable solutions available. Recovering water currently lost through aging infrastructure generates immediate benefits for communities without increasing pressure on natural water sources.
These projects also deliver significant environmental and social value by strengthening urban water resilience and reducing pressure on reservoirs, aquifers, and ecosystems.
The critical role of data centers
One of the sectors where water management is becoming increasingly important is the data center industry. The exponential growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services is driving rapid expansion of data center infrastructure worldwide.
Although the environmental impact of data centers is often associated with energy consumption, these facilities also have a considerable water footprint, primarily linked to cooling systems. As data processing and storage demands continue to grow, so does the need for efficient and sustainable cooling solutions.
Major technology companies are becoming increasingly aware of this challenge. Organizations such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) have incorporated water replenishment goals into their ESG strategies, committing to return more water than they consume in their operations before 2030.
Within this framework, replenishment projects have become a key tool for offsetting water consumption, strengthening local water resilience, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of digital growth.
Benefits of replenishment projects
The benefits of replenishment projects extend far beyond corporate sustainability targets. Their positive impact spans environmental, operational, social, and reputational dimensions.
- Recovery of water resources: The most immediate benefit is clear: recovering millions of liters of water currently lost through leaks or inefficient infrastructure. This helps optimize existing resources without requiring new water extraction.
- Improved urban resilience: Reducing water losses enables cities and utilities to better adapt to droughts and water stress periods, ensuring greater supply reliability.
- Lower energy consumption: Every liter of lost water also represents wasted energy used for extraction, treatment, and pumping. Minimizing leaks therefore reduces both energy consumption and the carbon footprint associated with the water cycle.
- Social and community impact: These initiatives generate direct benefits for local communities by improving access to water and increasing the efficiency of critical infrastructure.
- ESG compliance and corporate reputation: Replenishment projects help companies advance their sustainability objectives while demonstrating a tangible commitment to the environment and the communities where they operate.
Bergamo: Technology and artificial intelligence in service of water
One of the most recent and significant examples is the project that Aganova will develop together with Amazon and AWS in the Bergamo region of Italy.
Announced in May 2026, the initiative aims to reduce water losses across the network managed by Uniacque through advanced acoustic leak detection technology and artificial intelligence. The project will deploy Aganova’s Nautilus solution, supported by AWS cloud capabilities, to accurately and non-invasively identify leaks in large-diameter water pipelines.
The expected impact is substantial: the project is estimated to save approximately 200 million liters of water annually over the next ten years. This volume is roughly equivalent to the annual consumption of 1,300 households or 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The project becomes even more relevant considering Italy’s current water challenges. According to official data, more than 40% of water entering Italy’s public distribution networks is lost through leaks, one of the highest rates in Europe.
Beyond the direct water savings, the initiative also stands out for incorporating measurement and verification methodologies such as the VWBA (Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting) standard, ensuring transparent and validated quantification of the benefits generated.
Bergamo is a clear example of how advanced technology, digitalization, and artificial intelligence can transform water management and generate measurable positive environmental impact at scale.
A global strategy: São Paulo, Dublin, and Madrid
The Bergamo project is part of a broader international strategy led by Amazon and Aganova to develop water replenishment projects in different regions around the world.
In São Paulo, Brazil, both companies launched a ten-year initiative in 2025 focused on reducing water losses in highly complex urban water infrastructure. The project includes the inspection of approximately 64 kilometers of large-diameter pipelines and is expected to generate annual water savings of around 210 million liters.
In Dublin, Aganova is collaborating with Microsoft, Uisce Éireann, and SUEZ on a replenishment project aimed at reducing water losses in the city’s transmission network through advanced acoustic leak detection technology. The initiative includes the inspection of 40 kilometers of strategic pipelines using Aganova’s Nautilus solution, enabling precise and non-invasive leak identification. The project addresses one of Ireland’s major water challenges, where approximately one-third of drinking water is lost before reaching consumers, while also strengthening water resilience in a region experiencing growing urban and technological pressure.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Aganova and Microsoft are developing a replenishment project together with the Mancomunidad de Aguas del Sorbe (MAS), near Madrid, focused on improving the efficiency of critical water infrastructure through artificial intelligence and advanced leak detection technologies. The initiative is helping reduce water losses in a region increasingly affected by water stress and the need to optimize available resources. This project demonstrates how digitalization and advanced data analytics can accelerate the sustainable transformation of the urban water cycle and improve cities’ resilience to climate change.
Water as a strategic priority for the future
Water sustainability is no longer solely an environmental issue; it has become a strategic factor for business competitiveness and operational continuity.
In the coming years, more organizations will adopt water positive goals and implement replenishment projects capable of delivering tangible benefits to both communities and ecosystems.
The combination of artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and leak detection technologies is opening a new era in efficient water management. Projects led by Aganova demonstrate that it is possible to transform water infrastructure, reduce losses, and create measurable positive impact at scale. In a world where every drop matters, giving water back to the planet is no longer just a corporate responsibility; it is a strategic necessity for building more resilient and sustainable cities and industries.
