The Rancho California Water District (RCWD) based in Southern California serves a varied array of more than 40,000 residential and commercial customers. Last year marked the state’s fourth consecutive year dealing with the ramifications of the drought, forcing the State Water Resources Control Board to devise and implement mandatory measures intended to conserve and reduce water usage. The RCWD was therefore required to reduce residential and agricultural water use by thirty and ten percent, respectively.
The RCWD has used Itron’s robust fixed network and leak detection technology since 2014 to automate its water meter reading and to take proactive measures against water leaks in it systems. Having already used the technology with a 99 percent read rate, the newly mandated measures required the RCWD to take quick action to utilize its usage data on a broader scope, providing customers with information regarding their personal water use while encouraging them to assist with meeting water conservation targets and save money.
Utilizing its customer usage data gathered with the Itron network along with real time weather and landscape data, the RCWD developed an app called My WaterTracker that allowed customers to view their water usage budget on a daily basis. The app is a simple yet effective solution that includes how actual usage compares to a customer’s individual water budget determined by the water district. Using Itron Analytics, the RCWD was also able to provide its customers much more detailed information regarding leaks, allowing them to proactively address them before they become a major problem.
The RCWD’s app implementation resulted in a 22 percent water use reduction in just its first month of being launched and the reductions only continued to improve in the following months, resulting in a 42 percent reduction by the month of July.
The Avanti Company, provides Flow Meters and Metering Systems products including water meters and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to maximize and better utilize the data coming into your Utility. Call 1-800-284-5231 for additional information on water and wastewater system products like Itron or visit our website at www.avanticompany.com to learn more about the services we provide including on-site flow meter testing, sewer flow monitoring, and metering system support.