US tech partnership to advance utility water loss detection and metering

A partnership between The Water Tower (TWT), a US-based innovation centre, and Olea Edge Analytics, will aim to advance new metering technologies to support the water industry.

Olea Edge Analytics uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor key utility assets to detect water loss and performance issues and help identify needed system repairs. The Water Tower is an innovation centre aiming to resolve water industry challenges through applied research, technology innovation, workforce development and stakeholder engagement.

The partnership saw Olea recently install its smart water monitoring technology at TWT to demonstrate how it can benefit water utilities by saving water and money.

According to Olea, their Meter Health Analytics solution diagnoses the health of large commercial and industrial water meters, which can lose accuracy by more than 10% per year under normal conditions. The technology identifies water loss on a system and where utilities may be experiencing revenue loss that can impact costs for their customers.

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“Tests of Olea technology have identified water loss that traditional inspections would not detect,” said Melissa Meeker, CEO of The Water Tower. “This is a great example of how new technology can help utilities tighten up their systems and make sure every drop of water is accounted for.”

The City of Irving, Texas, recently tested the Olea technology through a pilot programme on some of its large water meters. The programme reduced water loss and improved billing accuracy for its largest customers, which also recovered an estimated $160,000 in annual revenue.

“Using Olea’s technology, utilities can identify the most critical performance problems, prioritise repairs and prevent the loss of millions of gallons of water,” said Quinn Jackson-Elliott, VP of government relations at Olea Edge Analytics.

“Our partnership with The Water Tower gives water utilities…the opportunity to see first-hand how this technology can improve their operations and bottom line.”