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NEWS
Allentown (Pa.) Selects Itron to Manage
Water Resources
Itron Inc. announced that the City of Allentown, Pa.’s
Bureau of Water Resources will implement Itron’s mobile
data collection solution for the collection and analysis of
water meter reads. The solution will help Allentown reduce
non-revenue-generating water through improved metering
accuracy, enhanced leak detection capabilities and added
tamper deterrents. Installation is expected to be complete
by mid-2013.
The City of Allentown, which serves 34,000 connections
for 118,000 residents, will install more than 26,000 Itron
advanced datalogging water modules while utilizing the
nearly 6,000 Itron water modules the utility already has in
place. Allentown’s mobile data collection solution will also
include Itron mobile collectors and web-based data presentment
software.
The flexibility of Itron’s technology enables utilities, such as
Allentown, to support future migration from mobile data collection
to fixed network systems within the same platform.
“The City of Allentown chose Itron’s solution because it has
the flexibility we need,” said John Parsons, manager Program
Development. “We now have a proven solution to address the
City’s need for increased water meter accuracy in addition to
improving leak detection and deterring meter tampering.
“By choosing Itron’s mobile solution, we have the option
to migrate to a fixed base system in the future with very few
changes to our operations. We are excited about a new automated
meter reading system that will be a definite enhancement
to the very labor-intensive process that we currently
have in-place, while at the same time increasing City revenues,”
Parsons added.
With the Itron solution, Allentown can leverage the benefits
of advanced datalogging analysis to detect water loss,
conserving water resources and creating operational efficiencies.
The solution will also dramatically reduce the time
it takes to read all meters in the system, going from several
weeks per quarter to two or three days.
Greenville (Miss.) Selects Mueller Systems
The City of Greenville, Miss., has selected Mueller Systems,
a leading provider of innovative water infrastructure products
and services and technologically advanced metering systems
for water, electric and gas systems, to upgrade its water system
with a state-of-the-art advanced metering infrastructure
(AMI) network and new water smart meters.
Mueller Systems will provide the Greenville with The
Mi.Net Mueller Infrastructure Network for Utilities – an
advanced two-way AMI network – as well as Mueller Systems’
Hersey water meters for approximately 13,500 service connections.
The municipally owned utility that provides water
services to more than 36,000 people throughout Greenville
was scheduled to begin installing the Mi.Net System and
water meters in November 2011.
“The City of Greenville is always looking for new ways to
strengthen its water system, especially when it comes to
improving conservation, customer service and operational
efficiency,” said Lorenzo Anderson, City Engineer for The
City of Greenville. “Upgrading our service connections with
smart meters and linking them together with the Mi.Net
System will help us to better meet each of these objectives by
reducing water loss, helping our customers to better understand
their water usage behavior and how their water consumption
affects their bills, and reducing operational costs.”
The Mi.Net System enables utilities to improve operational
efficiencies and customer service by fully automating
the meter reading-to-billing process and linking meters,
distribution sites and control devices in a single data network.
Benefits provided by the Mi.Net System include ondemand
meter readings, e-mail alerts and alarms based
upon near real-time information as well as the ability for
utilities to better manage their water and electric resources
through on-going access to custom data and information. A
recent enhancement to The Mi.Net System is Mi.Data – a
web-based portal that enables municipalities to strengthen
relationships with consumers by providing a consolidated
view of water and electricity usage online.
CONDITION ASSESSMENT
Echologics Signs Agreement with
United Water
Echologics, a developer and leading provider of acousticbased
technologies for water loss management, leak detection
and pipe condition assessment, secured a three-year
master services agreement with United Water. The agreement
enables any operating division of United Water to readily
utilize Echologics leak detection and condition assessment
services. United Water is one of the nation’s leading water
and wastewater utilities, supplying services to approximately
7 million people in the continental United States.
The agreement between United Water and Echologics
is the result of a successful transmission main leak detection
pilot project, completed in fall 2010. The pilot
included testing of approximately 5 miles of water mains,
including large diameter reinforced concrete pipe, prestressed
cylinder concrete and cast-iron pipe for United
Water New Jersey (UWNJ), a subsidiary of United Water.
During the survey, Echologics non-invasively located a
major leak on a river crossing, which was discovered on a
42-inch CIP water main, with an estimated loss of 100,000
gallons per day, and was isolated without breaking ground
or disrupting service. As a result of the survey, UWNJ was
able to quickly repair the leak, avoiding potential catastrophic
failure.
“Leaks and aging water pipes present significant challenges
to water service providers around the world,” said Antonio
Vicente, Operations Engineer for United Water New Jersey.
“By partnering with Echologics, United Water can take a proactive,
efficient approach to mitigating water leaks and assessing
the structural condition of pipes, before service is compromised.
Using advanced technology to address these items
head-on is critical for United Water to continue fulfilling its
primary objective, which is to provide its customers with the
highest quality drinking water.”
November/December 2011
Water Utility Infrastructure Management 15