Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris, Calif., was recently awarded a grant from the United States Bureau of Reclamation that will be used to upgrade computer software that will allow customers to track water usage.
The $217,000 grant, from the Bureau’s WaterSMART funding program, is designed to promote water conservation through education and improved communications with consumers.
EMWD, which puts up matching funding as part of the grant process, will use the funds to implement a meter data management system, which will enhance the District’s growing automated metering infrastructure (AMI).
The funding will help purchase software, provide public education, train district staff and revise billing documentation.
EMWD is in the process of converting all of its existing meters to Automated Metering, which allows the district and its customers to track usage. This allows the district and customers to track their water usage at any given time, determine periods of high usage, detect possible leaks and develop smart-water solutions to reduce water usage.
Customers with AMI meters were shown to save about 8,800 gallons of water per year. By the end of 2015, EMWD projects to have roughly 70,000 AMI meters in use, which would save roughly 1,890 acre ft of water per year. An acre ft of water is enough for two households for a year.
EMWD has previously used grants from the Bureau’s WaterSMART program to fund expansion of its recycled water system and water conservation programs.
“We truly appreciate the longstanding partnership we have with the Bureau of Reclamation,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “The funding of these programs is vital to helping us maximize our conservation efforts as we move forward.
“By allowing us to invest in technology, EMWD and its customers can work together to promote smart water usage and limit our reliance on our limited imported water supply.”
Source: Eastern Municipal Water District
