When it came time to upgrade its meter reading system, Wingo Water & Sewer wanted a comprehensive water utility solution. |
Utility Upgrades to ORION® Fixed Network (SE) System from Badger Meter
Located in rural Kentucky, the small town of Wingo may seem like an unlikely candidate to become the first city in the state to employ a complete Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system. However, when it came time to upgrade its meter reading system, the city wanted a comprehensive water utility solution. Wingo chose the ORION Fixed Network (SE) system from Badger Meter.
Nestled in the southwestern corner of the state, Wingo Water & Sewer is comprised of three people - its long-standing Mayor and water utility operator/superintendent, Charles Shelby; the police chief; and one licensed water operator. For many years, up until the summer of 2013, the city had been using the Recordall® Disc Series meters with a manual read operation. This system required Mayor Shelby along with the city clerk, Cassa Gossum, to manually collect reads from the city's 325 services each month. Over time, this method proved to be increasingly difficult and time consuming given the town's limited resources, rural location and weather extremes.
Trusted and Proven AMR/AMI Technology for Utility Optimization
After receiving a grant, Mayor Shelby turned to Steve Townsend, his longtime Badger Meter distributor at HD Supply Waterworks in Kentucky, to explore how an AMI system could improve his city's operations.
"From constructing a new water treatment plant and clear water tower to putting in a UV system for disinfection, we've made several improvements to our water system in recent years. Installing the AMI system was the natural next step. I knew radio reads would make our operations much more efficient," said Shelby.
Initially, the city considered implementing either a drive-by or fixed network system. Because of Wingo's small size, flat landscape and perfectly-situated water tower at the highest geographic elevation, one ORION network gateway transceiver could cover most of the city, making Wingo the perfect candidate for fixed network. Seizing the opportunity, Mayor Shelby selected the high-powered ORION Fixed Network (SE) system from Badger Meter to reduce data collection time, improve accuracy and enhance customer service.