Case Study
Case Study: Atlanta, GA
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•Case Study: Atlanta, GA
By Neptune Technology Group
The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management had been reading meters using a fully manual process, with readers having to lift each pit lid on site. The billing cycle required an entire month to read the meters of roughly 150,000 water service customers in the metropolitan Atlanta area and unincorporated rural areas of Fulton County.
Aside from the need for time-and-labor savings, other factors contributed to the department's move to automation. According to Sylvia Glover, Water Utility Manager for the department's AMR division, safety was a major concern, particularly in certain metropolitan areas. And with 95-98 percent of residential meters at the curbside, not only was vehicle traffic an issue but so was accessibility, since meter boxes were often covered with leaves, dirt or debris from new construction.
In addition, based on a business case, the city determined it was in its best interest to move to an automated meter reading (AMR) system. "We looked at the return on investment of having people on the ground reading each meter versus an automated or mobile AMR solution – it was a no-brainer," said Ron Booth, Ph.D., Vice President and Principal Management Consultant for CH2M Hill, Atlanta's consulting engineering firm. "The difference in terms of gasoline, vehicle maintenance, and labor quickly led us to a decision."
Click Here To Download:•Case Study: Atlanta, GA
