November 21, 2025

Tanu Kulkarni Highlights Collaboration in Water Modeling for Journal AWWA

Freese and Nichols management consultant Tanu Kulkarni, an experienced water and wastewater modeling engineer, shared his insights with a wider audience in an article published in Journal AWWA (American Water Works Association).

The article, “Collaboration Improves Water Distribution Modeling” (subscription required), examines how collaboration, sound data practices and GIS integration can improve the accuracy, usability and long-term value of hydraulic models in infrastructure planning.

Hydraulic models of water distribution networks are physics-based tools that simulate system flows and pressures. However, as the article explains, their accuracy depends on collaboration among modelers, operators and utility stakeholders during development and calibration. Coordination and open discussion throughout the process lead to more precise results because operators’ field experience helps fill data gaps that technical analysis alone cannot address. Involving stakeholders during calibration helps the model gain organizational acceptance.

The modeling process not only produces reliable hydraulic predictions by adjusting parameters such as pipe roughness and demand patterns but also improves data quality across utilities. It helps identify GIS discrepancies, fill asset information gaps and uncover infrastructure performance issues. Collaboration throughout development leads to better models, stronger insights, and more organized data.

“My learnings and lessons from the Asia Pacific water industry were always things I wanted to share with a wider audience,” Tanu said. “This was a valuable opportunity to collaborate with my peers experienced in the U.S. water industry.”

Tanu Kulkarni, who joined AWWA in 2021 as a master’s student at Carnegie Mellon University, co-wrote the article with Ben Chenevey of Arcadis and Parsa Pezeshk of CDM Smith on behalf of the Engineering and Modeling Application Committee. The piece is part of a series that simplifies the complexities of hydraulic modeling.

As an infrastructure management consultant, Kulkarni helps cities and utilities assess infrastructure conditions through a risk-based approach that identifies the “riskiest” assets and prioritizes improvements. He also develops frameworks that support sustainable infrastructure.

Although the article does not reflect his current role at Freese and Nichols, Kulkarni hopes it encourages closer collaboration with clients to find better infrastructure solutions. The article is the first in the committee’s series, with his next piece scheduled for publication in January. He is also co-authoring the fifth edition of the AWWA Manual of Practice M32 – Computer Modeling of Water Distribution.