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Advanced Metering Infrastructure for Water Conservation and Leak Detection

Solution Overview

Houston Public Works is implementing an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system to replace more than 95% of existing aged systems and improve leak detection capabilities across the city's water distribution network.[1] This technology upgrade addresses the end-of-life status of the city's 20+ year old legacy automated meter reading system while enhancing operational efficiency and water conservation efforts.[1] The initiative serves nearly 3 million residents across a four-county, 600-square-mile service area.[2]

Technical Components

The Sensus AMI System encompasses network infrastructure, Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, and smart sensing capabilities deployed throughout Houston's water distribution system.[1] Houston Public Works will deploy 500,000 new smart water meters and sensors over a five-year period, with devices capable of measuring water pressure and temperature in addition to consumption.[3] The SaaS tool enables centralized monitoring through dashboards that provide reports on customer water usage, leaks, water pressure readings, and other data in nearly real time.[3] Smart sensors and data analytics allow the department to more quickly detect and fix problems, such as water main leaks that cause water pressure to drop.[3] The utility plans to integrate acoustic leak detection and pressure monitoring of water mains using the fixed network infrastructure.[2] Houston Public Works has partnered with Microsoft Azure to use cloud-based data analytics tools to gain insights on sensor data and create a digital twin, a real-time digital representation of its infrastructure.[3] The system includes virtual connect and disconnect features that eliminate the need for expensive truck rolls, effectively handling 1,000 work orders each day that don't require field deployment.[2] Remote reading devices attached to water meters transmit water usage data back to the city, enabling accurate and automated billing.[5]

Implementation Details

The contract with Sensus USA Inc. has estimated spending authority of $6,122,748.99 for Houston Public Works in FY21 and $31,916,227.96 in out years, totaling $38,038,976.95.[1] Initial funding of $18,592,348.99 comes from $17,614,638.99 from the Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund and $977,710.00 from the Water and Sewer System Operating Fund.[1] Houston City Council authorized an additional appropriation of $16,054,610.00, consisting of $14,054,610.00 from the Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund and $2,000,000.00 from the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Capital Fund.[7] The scope of work requires Sensus USA Inc. to provide all labor, materials, equipment, and supervision for installation of the Sensus AMI System network and Software as a Service, with software maintenance and upgrades covered under the SaaS service agreement.[1] Installation of the individual meter reading devices and infrastructure will be completed by Houston Public Works field personnel and/or contractors.[1] Twenty prospective proposers downloaded the solicitation document, and proposals were received from Aclara Technologies LLC, Badger Meter Inc., Itron, Inc., Sensus Americas, Smart Earth Technologies, LLC, Neptune Technology Group, Inc., and Core & Main.[1] Sensus USA Inc. received the highest overall score and was deemed the best qualified vendor to perform the requirements as outlined in the RFP.[1] The request for proposal was issued with a 12% M/WBE participation goal, and Sensus USA Inc. submitted a Good Faith Effort with 1.88% MWBE approved by the Office of Business Opportunity.[1] Crystal Communications was designated as the certified MWBE subcontractor for Radio Network Installation, representing 1.88% of the contract.[1] The replacement of the automated meter reading system was presented to the Transportation, Technology & Infrastructure Committee on April 2, 2020.[1] As of December 2024, Houston Public Works had successfully replaced over 100,000 remote reading devices across the city.[5] The department identified approximately 125,000 nonfunctioning remote reading devices that needed replacement as part of the Water Bill Improvement Plan launched on April 1, 2024.[5] Houston Public Works encountered over 15,000 meters that were inaccessible due to obstacles such as landscaping, debris piles, concrete driveways, and locked gates during the replacement effort.[5] The city identified 273,000 remote reading devices that have not failed yet but will eventually need repairs.[9] Houston will spend about $8.5 million to replace more than 25,300 aging water meters, with some meters more than 20 years old according to documents the City Council unanimously passed.[11]

Benefits and Impacts

The AMI system helps improve customer service, automate processes, protect revenue, improve water quality, identify breaks and outages, increase reliability, segment the network through district metering, and evaluate asset health.[4] The replacement enables Houston Public Works to maintain continuity of the automated meter reading process and the continued timely and accurate billing of customer water and sewer consumption while minimizing incremental increases in operating costs.[1] Project success will be measured through increased system availability resulting in fewer manual and estimated meter reads.[1] The system allows the department to phase out its existing joint use contract with CenterPoint Energy, eliminating the need to mount hardware on CNP poles, with cost savings realized incrementally over the 10-year replacement period resulting in approximately $173,000.00 annually beginning in FY2028.[1] Houston's 2024 Water Conservation Plan sets a five-year goal to reduce water loss to 18 gallons per capita per day and a ten-year goal to reduce it to 15 gallons per capita per day.[6] Houston Water's water loss in 2022 was 15.6 percent, or 28 GPCD.[10] During 2023 to May 2024, the city lost 36 billion gallons of water due to leaks alone—enough water to supply the city of Fort Worth for a year.[11] Houston ranked first among Texas water utilities with the highest total volume of water loss in 2019, losing 32,870,203,000 gallons, representing 16% water loss at 147 gallons per capita per day.[12] Many remote reading devices stopped functioning due to age, damage, or extreme weather conditions, leading to billing inconsistencies, and as meter readers aged and failed, Houston Public Works began estimating water usage using an algorithm that wasn't consistently accurate.[5][11]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

The AMI system enhances Houston's climate resilience by enabling rapid detection and response to infrastructure failures that could be exacerbated by extreme weather events. The department will purchase equipment and services from Sensus USA Inc. to implement a flood monitoring system that leverages the communications platform deployed as part of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system, building upon a successful pilot deployment conducted in 2022.[7] Houston Public Works is installing sensors that measure water flow rates in drainage ditches and water levels at highway underpasses to predict flooding based on rainfall and water velocity, determining how quickly an area downstream will potentially flood.[3]

Business Analysis

The City of Houston was the first major city in the U.S. to use in-ground automated water meter reading technology, deploying an automated meter reading system in 1998 to curb the expense of more than 200 meter readers, before migrating to AMI starting in 2010.[2][4] The department started to deploy the fixed network AMI system in September 2010, which included network administration application software, cell control units, repeaters and communication modules dispersed around the greater Houston area.[2] The September 2010 deployment allowed 54,000 accounts to be read over the fixed network, and more than 310,000 of the total population of 465,000 metered accounts transmit over the fixed network.[2] The city aimed to expand the fixed network footprint and achieve close to 100 percent network coverage of its service territory by mid-2014.[2] All of Houston Water's customers are metered and billed based on usage.[10] The Water Bill Improvement Plan was launched on April 1, 2024, with the goal of eliminating inaccurate water billing and addressing system-wide issues by enhancing transparency, updating technology, and improving customer service.[5] Migrating to a Software as a Service solution simplifies IT management and improves redundancy and security.[3] Houston Public Works plans to submit the updated Water Conservation Plan to TCEQ by May 1, 2025, following a City Council vote on September 25, 2024.[6] The City of Houston's Water Conservation Plan includes measures to determine and control water loss as a required strategy, along with a program for universal metering and meter repair/replacement as required by TCEQ.[6] Houston Water conducts annual water audits and has a proactive leak detection and repair program.[10]

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