KP MegaNet™ - Stop That LEAK

OVERVIEW 

In 2015, California and Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD), a long time KP MegaNet™ account, continued to endure a fourth year of unprecedented drought conditions. The Governor had declared a statewide drought emergency, and the State Water Resources Control Board mandated a 32 percent conservation target for SSWD.

Faced with one of the highest conservation targets in the state, SSWD staff looked for a new and innovative way to help customers conserve. SSWD decided to utilize their MegaNet™ - Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to help consumers identify and fix leaks on their property.

IMPLEMENTATION

SSWD used their MegaNet™ (AMI) system to identify households where water was continuously flowing for 72 hours or more, indicating that they may have a potential leak. Once identified, the system created a work order generating a mailing list for postcards telling customers about the potential leak, along with information on how they might locate it.

The postcards are eye catching and straightforward. They notify customers that a recent review of their water meter indicated a continuous use of water at all times of the day and offer services from SSWD to help them identify the potential leak.

RESULTS AND EVALUATION

Since November 2015, SSWD has distributed 620 potential leak postcards. SSWD’s analysis shows that more than 60 percent of households receiving the postcard have stopped the continuous flow of water, indicating that they located and repaired leaks on their property reaching SSWD’s goals. Overall, SSWD estimates that more than 1.03 million gallons of water have been saved by the program and postcard in just four months of implementation.