The deeper view quickly paid off when technicians investigated customer calls regarding low pressure. This combination allows remote oversight of pressure, temperature, levels and switches. Walla Walla’s next move was to roll out Sensus ally® water meters coupled with the Sensus Smart Gateway Sensor Interface for advanced pressure monitoring and management. City employees identified pressure monitoring as another effective avenue to reduce water loss and streamline customer service. “The number of leak forgiveness applications we receive from customers has dropped by 75 percent as a result.”Īs water loss improved and dipped below 30 percent, the utility team brainstormed the next phase of their smart water journey. “The system has helped us quickly detect everything from large water main breaks right down to running toilets or leaky faucets and work proactively with customers to address them,” said Sutor. The system allowed the city to transition from monthly to hourly usage data with remote meter monitoring capabilities that improved leak detection. Walla Walla’s initial smart network deployment combined Sensus iPERL® residential water meters and OMNI™ commercial meters with the two-way FlexNet® communication network. Better yet, it gave Walla Walla a foundation that was scalable down the road. The solution gave the utility better visibility across more than 11,000 water meters.
Walla Walla began their journey toward long-term improvement by transitioning to a smart utility network from Sensus, a Xylem brand. “We wanted a system that could help us approach the challenge from multiple angles.” “We’re one of the oldest towns in the state so, water loss and aging infrastructure are complex issues that are linked,” said City of Walla Walla Water Distribution Supervisor Adrian Sutor. The city’s utility team decided enough was enough it was time for a major technology upgrade. In Washington’s acclaimed grape-growing region, Walla Walla was losing more than 30 percent of its NRW due to failing equipment. Wine might get better with age, but the same isn’t true for water metering infrastructure. The City of Walla Walla, Wash., used a smart utility network to address NRW, improve customer service and make operational strides. The path to meeting current and future water management objectives starts with surveying the entire board and then developing the right game plan. This ensures staff will be there to address both the near and long-term needs of customers. The right data can help water providers pinpoint acute issues like leaks or spills and target future needs. Some utilities use technology to their advantage for greater system visibility. It all comes down to anticipation and execution. They must work to gain control over water loss while thinking two steps ahead to avoid vulnerabilities down the road.
Solving the challenge of non-revenue water (NRW) can feel like playing a game of chess for utilities facing aging infrastructure.
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