The water industry’s infrastructure is in constant use, very much like the nation’s interstate system. There is never a moment when water is not circulating through the pipes and channels of treatment works and distribution systems, just as there is never a moment when no vehicles are travelling the
This is to say, both systems are in constant and perpetual use—only being repaired, updated, managed, and patched in sections, while the rest of the system flows and whirs.
Not surprisingly, as an infrastructure under endless use ages, it faces challenges.
Some of the challenges facing the water industry’s infrastructure today include infrastructure costs in the US of 3.6 trillion dollars to bring systems to acceptable levels. There are more than 240,000 water main breaks in the US per year, and to replace them all could cost over a trillion dollars. Add to this, the EPA found in a recent survey that over the next twenty years the US must invest $348 billion for upgrades to drinking water infrastructure.
So, what can be done about it on a local level?
One simple answer would be water conservation. By reducing the amount of strain put on the existing water infrastructure, communities and municipalities can help slow the stress-damage to pipes and systems.
MyMeter® is an online portal that has been helping water utilities and their customers all over the country conserve and save resources. It’s a software for utilities where everything is under one roof.
Implementations are fast, on-time, and on budget. Going beyond conservation, water utilities are turning to MyMeter® for much more, including:
– Bill presentment and electronic bill payment
– Interval, hourly, daily, monthly, and even real-time data in interactive charts and heat-maps
– Automated notifications and alerts that make sure water customers have access to information and data when it counts, both for their pocketbook and their busy lives
– Customer engagement tools—like when a customer’s usage has increased significantly, or that there may be an issue at a vacation or rental property, or that a small persistent water leak may be wasting clean water and driving up their bill
What sort of impact could we see in the world if millions and millions of individuals’ contributions reduced the strain on water’s infrastructure. Through our partnerships, at Accelerated Innovations, we are using MyMeter® to find out.
