Featured Articles

31. BEACON SaaS Helps Eliminate Human Error And Reducing Time Spent In The Field 7/8/2020

    Servicing more than 3,000 residents in the Greenfield Village and Copper Creek subdivisions in northwest Houston, Texas, Harris County Utility District (UD 15) had an aging water metering system with numerous inefficiencies. As a result, the district was experiencing lost revenues and inaccurate meter readings. It was time to replace the system. 

32. Water Authority Deploys More Efficient Solution For Now And The Future 7/16/2020

    Following the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2013, Water Authority of Dickson County decided to look beyond its current metering manufacturing company and evaluate other solutions in the market. Leaders from WADC began conversations with their counterparts across Tennessee to find new, longer-lasting and more accurate meters, as well as a solution that would help WADC more strategically detect leaks and efficiently manage its time.

33. Historic Town Builds A “Smart” Water System With ORION® Cellular And BEACON® Software as a Service (SaaS) 7/13/2020

    Paducah Water in Kentucky identified a need to upgrade its water system. The utility used a manual reading system for decades and investigated multiple solutions, including touch-read and drive-by systems. None of the solutions met its requirements. “In both of our attempts to deploy new solutions, we found the equipment and systems to be unreliable. We even had to stop our implementation efforts after having installed 1,000 new water meters,” said Bill Robertson, general manager of Paducah Water. “We had to keep looking.” Read the full case study to learn more.

34. City Of Auburndale Leading The Way With Smart Water Technologies 7/16/2020

    Located in central Florida, the City of Auburndale is a thriving and steadily growing community that boasts great spaces to live, work and play. With more than a dozen lakes and ponds within its borders, a crucial component of the city’s appeal can be found in its abundance of water. In 2016, the Public Utilities Department saw a need to upgrade aging infrastructure across its water system. The city’s water meters and endpoints had provided many years of reliable service, and it was an opportune time to investigate how more advanced technology could benefit the utility and its customers.

35. Aging Water System Transformed Into Leading Smart Water Solution 7/16/2020

    When water utility managers in Bedford, Texas, determined it was time to replace the city’s aging water infrastructure, they anticipated it would be a challenging undertaking. However, by selecting a manufacturing partner with a comprehensive solutions portfolio, the Public Works Department achieved a successful infrastructure replacement project in less than two years.

36. Smart Meters With Integrated Valves Promote Long-Term Savings 12/17/2019

    Picture this common scenario for a water utility: A past due account triggers multiple notices to a home, but with no response from the customer, a crew is sent to shut off service. Throughout the process, the municipality racks up other labor costs, including personnel needed to create the work order and a return visit by a crew to restore service once the account is current.

37. Managed Metering Solutions Offer A Strong Business Case 10/29/2019

    Many municipalities would benefit from a managed solution for water meter reading. However, they often avoid a deep dive into the option after performing a cursory, and flawed, cost-benefit analysis. When properly evaluated, managed solutions frequently provide a better and more viable alternative.

38. LTE-M Standard Redefines Cellular Efficiency For Water Meter Readings 9/9/2019

    The term “cellular” often calls to mind certain assumptions and limitations based on prior experience with consumer cellphone networks. Don’t confuse cellular-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications with past cellular experiences, though. The relatively new Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) standard represents a whole new ballgame. In short, “This is not your father’s cellular network.”

39. Modern Metering Adoption At Smaller Public Water Systems 7/15/2019

    As with most things in life, there are those water utilities that have and those that don’t. According to the EPA, less than 3% of the 150,110 operational public water systems (PWS) in the U.S. serve more than 10,000 people. And those 4,500 systems serve 79% of the population. Not that being big means living trouble free. Many of these water authorities serve cities plagued by under investment over decades in their water systems. And yet with large rate-bases comes the means to spread the investment in modern technology across many households and water consumers.   

40. When To Consider An Alternative To Thermal Dispersion Meters 4/17/2019

    Maintaining a firm grip on blower output within digesters at wastewater treatment plants is the key to stable dissolved oxygen levels that support an optimal biological cycle. However, the most common type of device used to measure aeration in the activated sludge process — thermal dispersion flow meters — is not always the best fit. The good news is that wastewater plant operators have multiple alternatives.