Pennsylvania utility makes transformative progress through acoustic monitoring
When your water is purchased from an independent source, you do not want to waste a single drop. Findlay Township Municipal Authority (FTMA) obtains their water from the Ohio River, through interconnects with two neighboring authorities in Western Pennsylvania.
They continuously serve customers by way of 75 miles of waterline that runs through rolling hills and woods. Monitoring the average daily water consumption of approximately 1.5 million gallons per day comes with its challenges. The authority looked to smart water technology from Sensus, a Xylem brand, to tackle remote leak detection efforts.
“We need to know of any abnormalities in our water systemdaily,” said Jason Orsini, FTMA’s general manager. “Sensus has a user-friendly system that allows us to train staff to know exactly where to go to make the fix.”
Getting Smart
In 2019, the authority upgraded their smart water network with remotely managed acoustic monitoring technology. The Sensus Analytics Acoustic Monitoring application combines Permalog+ technology with the FlexNet communication network and SmartPoints to monitor distribution lines and localize leaks.
This upgrade enhanced the utility’s operational efficiency. Gone are the days when crew members go into the field to physically lift and shift loggers from site to site and manually input readings each day. Now, the magnetically attached loggers remain in a permanent location and technicians oversee the entire distribution system — down to the most granular detail — from the comfort of their offices.
“We needed acoustic monitoring across our entire system, not only problem areas,” Orsini said. “This technology allows us to know of any abnormalities in our 75 miles of waterline every day, whereas before we may not know of a leak for anywhere up to 35 days.”
The acoustic sensors use soundwaves to listen to the distribution system overnight when ambient, background noise is at its lowest. Pipeline flow conditions are then reported to the utility via FlexNet. The application automatically aggregates and analyzes data and alerts the authority if leaks occur, allowing technicians to identify and find leaks before they become a problem.
“The system gives us a real quick snapshot of any issues within the system, we’ll know right away if there’s a leak,” said Orsini. “This platform is user-friendly, and then our technicians must go out and investigate.”
Taking Full Advantage
Having the data is one thing. Using it to its fullest is another. Orsini praises his team for learning the technology and proactively finding leaks. Working overtime was commonplace for the authority until the acoustic monitoring application was implemented. The digital enhancement helped decrease the staff’s monthly overtime hours from 200 to less than 70. This means that most repairs can now be handled within standard business hours.
Time is not the only thing Findlay Township has saved by utilizing its smart water system. The remotely managed smart meters along with acoustic monitoring also help with unaccounted water loss, which has decreased from approximately 40% to just 5% in the past decade. The authority calculated a cost savings of $100,000 annually, which is crucial savings for an essential service provider that relies on outside sources for its water.
Perhaps even more rewarding, the authority’s increased efficiency did not go unnoticed by their customers. Residents are thrilled by the high standard of customer service they are experiencing, particularly when leaks are addressed the same day they are detected.
“One of our technicians pinpointed a leak to a private home,” Orsini said. “He knocked on the door and told the homeowner about the leak. The homeowner was shocked and asked, ‘How do you know that?’ Our technicians are using all available tools to provide our customers with improved service. The system works.”
The Big Picture
The authority credits the digital solution for locating leaks that never surface in places such as mine shafts or storm drains and for alerting the authority to its biggest underground leaks.
“I would very much recommend the acoustic monitoring system to other townships,” Orsini said. “I would swear by it as we know the results are real. With the right people in place to interpret the data and track the leaks, we better serve our customers.”
Orsini said the acoustic monitoring application was a difference maker for Findlay Township. Now, the technicians are masters of leak detection and provide timely solutions. WW
