New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), in the city of New Braunfels, Texas, recently signed its fourth contract with Utilis, this time including an option to extend the contract for four additional years. The contracts allow NBU to use ASTERRA’s leak detection and analysis technology, named Recover, which has allowed NBU significant water savings.
NBU has been using the technology for over three years. It allows their team to view imagery of the full water utility system, including subsurface regions.
"Being able to get a full scan of your entire distribution system and finding points of interest that are sending you to places with a high probability of leaks was a massive time-saver," said Jason Theurer, Water Operation Manager for NBU.
According to Jessica Green, Water Services Division Planner at NBU, their leak detection program takes a strategic maintenance approach. They will scan 100% of the system every quarter and closely watch critical evaluation metrics including leaks found, the location of points of interest, and water savings.
After a short pilot program in 2019, 229 leaks were detected. In 2020, 302 leaks were detected, and in the first quarter of 2021, 60 leaks were detected. Many of these leaks were subsurface and unidentifiable before using satellite-based leak detection. By finding and resolving those leaks, NBU saved 134.5 million gallons of water, roughly equating to a savings of $609,992.
Both NBU and ASTERRA are recognized industry leaders for their work related to water conservation. Recently, the technology behind Recover won the American Water Works Association's (AWWA's) Innovation Award.
SOURCE: ASTERRA
