Nevada Utility Selects Sensus Technology for Smart Water Deployment

Dec 10, 2019

Known as “Biggest Little City in the World,” Reno, Nevada is famous for its casinos. However, the city’s water utility isn’t gambling on outdated systems to deliver around-the-clock service to residents.

As a community-owned water provider with more than 400,000 customers across Reno and the greater Washoe County region, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) decided to double down on smart water technology and enhance functionality with automated meter data collection.

As TMWA’s coverage area expanded in recent years, their manual process for obtaining meter data became cumbersome. The water authority decided to upgrade their infrastructure and initiate a meter replacement program to improve efficiency and advance customer service. Through an in-depth ‘request for proposal’ process, they chose to deploy a smart utility network from Sensus, a Xylem brand, to implement real-time remote monitoring and management.

“After testing different network architectures and speaking with current Sensus customers, it was clear that this was the best solution,” said Director of Distribution Maintenance & Generation Pat Nielson. “The system will allow us to achieve outstanding read rates across our water meters with less infrastructure, meaning fewer base stations and access points needed than with other systems.”

TMWA will deploy the FlexNet® communication network with smart meters across approximately 110,000 endpoints to enable automated meter monitoring and advanced leak detection. With access to real-time data, they can reduce truck rolls for meter reads and use staff time more efficiently. The system will also enhance TMWA’s water conservation program, allowing the team to proactively identify leaks and educate customers about their usage.

“Thanks to the flexibility of our smart utility network, we can roll things out in a much more methodical way,” added Nielson. “We’ll be able to use our system to advance in a way that makes a lasting impact for our customers and strengthens our role as responsible stewards of our region's water resources.”

TMWA will conduct meter change-outs on a schedule that fits the needs of the utility and their water customers. The project should be completed within the next three to five years.

About Sensus

Sensus helps a wide range of public service providers—from utilities to cities to industrial complexes and campuses—do more with their infrastructure to improve quality of life in their communities. We enable our customers to reach farther through the application of technology and data-driven insights that deliver efficiency. We partner with them to anticipate and respond to evolving business needs with innovation in communications technologies, data analytics and services.

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.

About TMWA
Truckee Meadows Water Authority is a not-for-profit water utility, overseen by elected officials from Reno, Sparks and Washoe County. TMWA employs a highly skilled team who ensure the treatment, delivery and availability of high-quality drinking water around the clock for more than 400,000 residents of the Truckee Meadows. To learn more about TMWA, visit tmwa.com.

 

Contact

Sensus

Kim Genardo

637 Davis Drive

NC 27560 Morrisville

United States

Phone:

+1 919 376 2566

E-Mail:

Kim.genardo@xyleminc.com

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