Water Loss and Leak Detection Industry Updates

81. Water Utility OT vs. IT — It’s Not A Battle, It’s A Balance 1/14/2020

    The chemistry of optimizing water/wastewater treatment extends far beyond chlorine and oxygen. It also involves synthesizing productive insights from the flood of IT data generated by operational technology (OT) sensors, instruments, and control systems. Here’s how better operational intelligence strategies are helping IT and OT personnel collaborate to make processes more cost-efficient.

82. Reduce Electricity Costs By Putting More Energy Into Data Analysis 12/2/2019

    With electricity consumption being a primary operating cost in water treatment and wastewater treatment, steps taken to optimize energy use are critical. Saving energy is more than just an on/off decision. Monitoring and managing energy use — from analyzing pump curves, to reducing non-revenue-water leaks, to scheduling operations around premium-rate windows — is essential. Fortunately, the payback potential can be impressive.

83. The Drive Towards Digital Transformation 11/25/2019

    It seems that everywhere that you go in the water industry at the current time, somebody is talking about digital transformation…or if we go back five minutes, it was Water 4.0…and 10 minutes ago (it seems), it was “smart water.” These are all very well used buzzwords that the industry is destined to think about for a short-term and then promptly forget about. In reality, though, we as an industry have been hit by a number of different concepts for a number of different technological aspects for a good number of years now. For almost as long we have had a term for all of this — “widgets.”

84. The Iron Bowl And America’s Water Pipe 11/25/2019

    Saturday will be the 84th playing of the Auburn vs. Alabama football game. The first was played in 1893, and following a tie in 1907, the game was not played again until 1948 after a mandate to resume by the state legislature. It’s as well-known as any college football rivalry, and many fans of other teams will acknowledge it as the nation’s most intense.

85. Water Loss Control — From Audit To Action 11/1/2019

    Non-revenue water loss is a problem from coast to coast, but California has taken a lead and set an example — with resources from AWWA — by adopting and sharing best practices to help solve the issue.

86. Maximizing AMI Investments Through Broader IIoT Insight 7/3/2019

    Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has received a lot of attention in recent years, typically regarding customer account billing. Other AMI uses within water distribution networks, however, can play equally important roles in reducing non-revenue water (NRW). Consider these contributions of networked flow meter use for automating better insights into water distribution efficiency.

87. Know Your Options For Mag Meter Installation Cost, Care, And Calibration 7/2/2019

    Electromagnetic meters (mag meters) are well established in terms of highly accurate performance for a variety of municipal and industrial water applications. Differences in their construction formats, however, dictate how easy they can be to install, maintain, and calibrate. Compare these three options to see the value of full-profile-insertion (FPI) mag meters and their associated advantages in real-world use.

88. Achieving Level Pressure At Challenging Points In Distribution Systems 5/31/2019

    When drinking water leaves a treatment plant through giant pipes, with the help of huge pumps, the pressure can exceed 200 psi. The high pressure is a necessity because water must travel a long distance in some cases. Water towers scattered throughout the distribution system aid in the process so it can reach all utility customers. The problem is that not all distribution points in a water system are created equal.

89. Using Advanced Tools To Stem The Lost Revenue Tide 5/29/2019

    From the largest metropolitan utilities to the smallest water systems, leaks are a problem everywhere. Because it’s difficult to raise consumer prices to offset the losses, non-revenue water has a direct impact on the bottom line of municipal water systems. However, utility managers now have an opportunity to reverse the problem with advanced flow meter technology that combines multiple measurements.

90. Accurate Metering For Every Water Consumer’s Habits 1/25/2019

    Utilities looking for greater billing efficiency and control over every drop of water consumed by their customers face a constant battle with non-revenue water loss, which can be compounded by different metering technologies and consumer behaviors. Using accurate, always-on, continuous-sampling meters to take full advantage of automated smart utility networks is a better way to improve decision-making and achieve accountability goals across any circumstances.