As water utilities are well aware, water scarcity is already a problem, and its escalation over recent years has prompted immediate action. Fortunately, utilities have proven techniques at their disposal for combating and resolving this threat more rapidly and cost-effectively than older methods. Here are various areas of focus and opportunities where water utilities can better prepare for the future.
Water Scarcity
Climate change, population growth, and aging utility networks have converged to put a pressure on water supplies in an increasing number of regions.
Deteriorating Infrastructure
Much of the urban and suburban water distribution infrastructure built to serve the initial movement to industrialized population centers up to 100 years ago is nearing or exceeding its expected service life, resulting in costly leaks, service disruptions, and potential water quality issues. Based on their own repair history trends in previous years, most utilities can foresee that risk.
Inaccurate Water Monitoring
Monthly readings from manual and drive-by meter reading systems are insufficiently granular, limiting utilities’ capacity to effectively control budget losses or water wastage caused by defective meters, leaks, inaccessible meters, theft, and a slew of other issues.
Monitoring of Compliance
While water shortages have primarily been a local or regional problem to date, the increasing number of news headlines about droughts and diminishing reservoirs may soon make this a top-of-mind concern for more water utilities and their customers. Utilities that want to build conservation plans, compliance monitoring plans, and communications plans in advance of prospective shortages can use today’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and analytics as a foundation for future compliance monitoring and enforcement.
To learn more about the Avanti Company and the services and products we provide, including flow meters and collection system meters, please visit us online or call us at 800.284.5231.