MILWAUKEE, FEB 20, 2020 -- Badger Meter, a leading global innovator and manufacturer of flow measurement, control and communications solutions, announced it has received a Smart 50 Award in the “Urban Operations” category. The company was recognized for the role of its smart water meter technology in modernizing an aging water infrastructure system for the City of Columbia, South Carolina. The Smart 50 Awards, in partnership with Smart Cities Connect, Smart Cities Connect Foundation and US Ignite, honor the 50 most transformative smart projects each year.
As part of its smart city initiative, Columbia partnered with Badger Meter to provide a water infrastructure system that increases the system’s resiliency, enhances water usage transparency, and provides its 150,000 metered accounts, including 400,000 residents spread across 320 square miles, with high-quality water services. Badger Meter deployed smart water technologies including BEACON® Advanced Metering Analytics (AMA), ORION® Cellular LTE-M endpoints, Recordall® Disc Series meters and E-Series® Ultrasonic meters.
“We were honored Mayor Stephen Benjamin and the Columbia Water team trusted us to lead them through this water infrastructure transformation,” said Kim Stoll, vice president of sales and marketing at Badger Meter. “This award celebrates that partnership and showcases smart water meter technology’s impact and long-term potential for municipalities across America that want to improve water infrastructure resiliency and optimize customer service.”
BEACON AMA, a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, uses existing cellular networks to bypass gateway infrastructure, making meter reading more efficient and scalable for the long term. BEACON AMA and ORION Cellular endpoints provide actionable intelligence, resulting in faster leak detection, quicker data collection for compliance reporting and better revenue management. Columbia’s AMI system also allows water customers to access consumption usage data from the consumer engagement tool EyeOnWater®, via their mobile phones, tablets and computers.
“The AMI system allows us to prioritize our core competencies of providing excellent customer service and reliable water delivery while letting these incredible smart water meter technologies facilitate real-time actionable communications to our customers,” said Clint Shealy, assistant city manager of Columbia Water. “Now we can send accurate water bills, help customers take control of their water usage and fully realize our core values of accountability, transparency and integrity.”
“From hundreds of applicants and over one dozen countries, the Smart 50 Award review committee selected the project laid out by Columbia, South Carolina and Badger Meter because it innovatively tackles water infrastructure challenges,” said Laura Benold, managing editor for Smart Cities Connect Media & Research. “Not only does their smart approach solve operational challenges for the municipality, it also empowers residents.”
To learn more about the smart water technology deployment in Columbia, please visit https://www.badgermeter.com/smart50/.
