Each year, billions of gallons of water are needlessly lost, wasting resources and money. Southern Indiana’s Silver Creek Water Corporation uses smart water technology to avoid this problem and proactively prevent water loss.
The water corporation manages millions of gallons of water over hilly terrain for a population of 20,000 in Sellersburg. There is little room for error. That is why they continually strive for improvement by upgrading their distribution system with the latest available technologies.
In 2001, Silver Creek transitioned from manual meter reading to automated meter reading (AMR) before upgrading again in 2015 by deploying the Sensus FlexNet® communication network in conjunction with iPERL® residential water meters and Sensus Analytics. These changes allowed them to manage meters remotely to save time, money and human resources.
“We created a more open line of communication with our customers through the use of Sensus Analytics,” said Scott Ham, Silver Creek Water Corporation manager. “When questions arise, we simply open the application here in the office and pull up the dashboard that shows our customers exactly what their water usage looks like down to the gallons per minute.”
Southern Indiana’s Silver Creek Water Corporation uses smart water technology to avoid this problem and proactively prevent water loss
The technology upgrades allow Silver Creek’s meter specialists to read and assess 8,000+ meters in a matter of hours – a feat that previously took nearly two weeks.
“Time is money, safety and efficiency,” said Ham. “We are now able to scale back hundreds of hours of labor into about half a day’s work. And not only are we doing it faster, but the data that we are getting is more accurate than ever before.”
Constant access to data also gives Silver Creek the opportunity to perfect prompt leak detection and proactive customer service. Near-real-time notifications have already allowed them to address a water loss of nearly 500 gallons per hour before the residential customer even knew there was an issue.
Dedication to continuous improvement has enhanced Silver Creek’s operations. Their long-standing relationship with Sensus, a Xylem brand, has played a big part in that and will continue as upgrades are implemented. The service provider recently conducted a water-loss audit by pressure zone, followed by the implementation of ally® water meters to improve pressure management.
“Success is not created with a ten-point plan,” said Ham. “It's a continuous road to improvement. Advancements are always possible. Sometimes you just need a little help from technology.”
To learn more about the benefits of Xylem’s Sensus Analytics and how Silver Creek Water Corporation continues to stay two steps ahead, read the full case study.
