Metering.com 21 JULY 2016
The City of Lancaster in California state signed a contract with water management solutions firm Itron to enhance its water efficiency and customer service.
The deal includes Itron providing the city’s Public Works Department with a smart water solution.
In a press statement, Itron said its smart water solution will enable the city to improve its distribution network management through the provision of real time insights on how the network is operating.
The Washington-based firm claims its solution will help the city to lower non-revenue water, increase its revenue collection and water efficiency through the detection of residential plumbing leakages.
The Public Works Department predicts that the technology will save taxpayers $130,000 to $200,000 per year.
Rick Gray, the mayor of Lancaster city, commented: “By investing in this technology, we’ll be able to detect and repair leaks in our water transmission lines, saving city taxpayers from bearing the high cost of dealing with water main breaks. The same technology will help our residential and commercial customers identify leaks on their own property, so they can have it repaired and avoid being surprised with a huge water bill.”
In addition to Itron’s smart water solution and data analytics, the city will also use the firm’s Total Outcomes solution which includes multiple technologies to provide connectivity for the smart water meters.
The solutions provider will be responsible for on-going maintenance of the network. [California water utility approves smart meter rollout].
Charlotte Katzenmoyer, director of public works at the City of Lancaster, said: “The city’s priority is to replace our aging infrastructure so we can avoid water waste and costly repairs.”
Itron’s water management solution
The news comes as Itron is implementing various measures to enhance its smart water solution.
In late June, the firm partnered with smart water technology provider WaterSmart to optimise water efficiency and consumer engagement applications and expand its water portfolio.
Under the collaboration, Itron will add WaterSmart’s consumer engagement platform to its expanding water portfolio. WaterSmart’s platform is designed to help utilities become more water efficient by engaging consumers with their water usage and delivering actionable data to utilities. [Island utility to deploy Itron smart water solution].
Itron will use and distribute WaterSmart’s smart water solution as part of its AMI technology for three years. WaterSmart’s solution uses smart water meters, climate and property data to help residential consumers to save water and reduce their bills.
The platform is claimed to help utilities improve customer satisfaction and their participation in conservation programmes by 35%.