Waco, TX Turns To IoT For Water Service Improvements

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Waco, Texas is partnering with Itron on IoT powered water service improvements. Waco will use Itron’s OpenWay Riva IoT service which includes smart water communication modules and leak sensors, to reduce water loss and improve water delivery for the utility’s nearly 45,000 customers.

To upgrade its water metering infrastructure and improve operational efficiency, Waco will deploy 45,000 communication modules and 12,000 leak sensors. With an open, standards-based network, the utility will be able to improve efficiency and reduce water loss by gaining access to high-resolution consumption data and insights that will enable utility personnel to pinpoint and address problems quickly. The solution will also enhance customer service with more accurate bills and tools to proactively investigate and resolve billing complaints.

Sensor arrays are gaining popularity with utility providers as a means of monitoring networks that are often spread out and in various states of modernity. For water systems, leaks can be especially hard to track if evidence of the leak isn’t showing up in someone’s home or elsewhere above ground. Small leaks in the system can go undetected for months or years wasting gallons of water and eroding the overall reliability and efficiency of the water system.

Itron’s IoT solution is gaining traction with utility providers that are looking for sensor networks that will work for electrical grids, water systems and other public services. Itron has recently partnered with Georgia Power and the California Energy Commission on other utilities projects.