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News Release

Bolton Point Discovers a Pool-Sized Water Leak With Sensus Technology

Ithaca, NY water utility goes from estimated billing to detecting leaks overnight

(Click to Tweet) – It took only a few days for Bolton Point Water System to see the results of their new Sensus smart water technology. As data started flooding in, they noticed that one home went from using no water to running 100 gallons per hour over the course of three days. That’s 7,400 gallons of lost water—which is enough to fill an average-sized pool. Problem is, the property doesn’t have a pool and the homeowner was out of town.

“When we couldn’t reach the customer by phone we sent an operator to check on things,” said Steve Riddle, distribution manager for Bolton Point Water System. “Turns out, while the owners were away, a hose was turned on and left running in the yard. Without the new technology to alert us, who knows how much more water would have been wasted or how high their bill would have gone?”

Only a few months ago, Bolton Point relied on customers to read their own meters, write down their water usage on postcards and mail them back to the utility. Ten to fifteen percent of customers failed to send in their cards so bills were estimated based on previous use. That made it difficult to get a full picture of water usage.

“We needed an end-to-end solution and partners we could count on,” said Riddle. “Sensus had the answer and our other partners at Saks and HD Supply helped us seamlessly deploy a system where we saw results on day one.”

The Bolton Point approach includes OMNI® and iPERL® meters, the FlexNet® communication system and data analytics all managed by the Sensus Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.

Thanks to Bolton Point’s new technology, its more than 7,000 customers can enjoy abundant water without being flooded by leaks or high water bills.

 

Summary:
  • Prior to Sensus, bills were estimated based on previous use for 10 to 15 percent of customers, making it difficult to get a full picture of water usage.
  • The new approach includes OMNI and iPERL meters, the FlexNet network and data analytics all managed by the Sensus Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.
  • Thanks to new technology from Sensus, Bolton Point’s more than 7,000 customers now enjoy abundant water without being flooded by leaks or high water bills.

Sensus had the answer and our other partners at Saks and HD Supply helped us seamlessly deploy a system where we saw results on day one.

Steve Riddle

Distribution Manager, Bolton Point Water System

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