Atlanta expands water meter sensor deployment to boost city revenue

Source: Smart Cities World Published: February 9th, 2021

The expanded $3.9m project is expected to recover tens of millions of dollars from high-value water meters that can be better used for other infrastructure-related projects.

In less than 12 months, the Atlanta programme identified $10m in potential revenue

The City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management has expanded its partnership with Olea Edge Analytics in a bid to recover millions of dollars in revenue from high-value water meters. The City plans to use the recovered revenue for other infrastructure-related projects.

The partnership began in 2018 as a pilot programme that placed Olea Edge Analytics sensors on 20 meters in the city. Those sensors identified malfunctioning high-value water meters and helped the Department of Watershed Management prioritise repairs. In three months, Olea claims to have found more than $1m in recoverable revenue for the water department.

Potential revenue

Encouraged by those initial results, the programme grew to 700 meters, with Atlanta devoting $1m to the project. In less than 12 months, the programme identified $10m in potential revenue.

For the latest phase, Atlanta’s City Council has approved legislation to add 1,600 additional Olea endpoints. The expanded $3.9m project is expected to recover tens of millions of dollars that can be better used for other infrastructure-related projects.

According to Olea, large commercial and industrial water meters can represent 40-60 per cent or more of a utility’s annual revenue. And under normal conditions, commercial water meters can lose accuracy by more than 10 per cent per year.

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Photo by Brad Huchteman on Unsplash