*6.1. Smart Technologies*

The system that is conceptualized in this research would be possible through smart technologies that can record and account for water flows and peer-to-peer transactions in real-time. Smart water flow meters are needed to sense and record water contributed to and withdrawn from the water network at each household on sub-hourly time steps. AMI that includes smart water flow sensors can allow urban water managers to accurately and continuously account for non-potable water use and pumping [95]. Blockchain technologies can be applied to create a ledger to record transactions between peers, and smart contracts can be built on top of a distributed ledger to facilitate the settlement of water trades. Automated valves and pumps would be needed to automatically execute trades by releasing water at the household into the network. The integration of these technologies creates a smart water grid that enables new water and energy savings through decentralized water sources. These technologies were not modeled as functioning entities in this framework, and future research can explore how these technologies would be adopted and would function in a smart water grid. Introducing this array of new technologies can create new vulnerabilities to failure that may occur due to internet disruption, power outages, and malfunctioning controllers. Fail-safe protocols and technological solutions are needed to account for loss of water or trades that are not fulfilled.
