Go Beyond the Noise: Manage Pressure to Transform Network Management Outcomes

Aging infrastructure and non-revenue water (NRW) challenges demand water utilities to shift from reactive to proactive water loss management strategies. Pressure monitoring, coupled with acoustic sensors, is essential for early leak detection, pressure control, infrastructure protection, and improved operational efficiency.

AWWA M36

The AWWA M36 is a gold standard, comprehensive leakage management process, including four key steps:

1. Conduct water audits to confirm accurate supply and consumption data.
2. Establish realistic leakage levels to balance costs and water loss.
3. Address apparent losses in meter reading errors and unauthorized consumption.
4. Tackle real losses through pressure monitoring and acoustic sensing.

Acoustic and Pressure Sensor Roles

• Acoustic Sensors are excellent at spotting nearby leaks but lose accuracy the further away they are, reducing the effectiveness of fixed acoustic sensors in meters.  
• Pressure Sensors give near real-time, network-wide data, helping to:
• Maintain hydraulic stability to reduce pipe stress.
• Pinpoint pressure changes and leaks using virtual District Metered Areas (vDMAs).
• Seamlessly integrate data for digital twins.
• Provide powerful network insights through a limited number of sensors.

Recommendations for Utilities

• Address apparent losses through data cleaning and validation.
  • Xylem Data Lake (XDL) provides users with analytics and tools to investigate data.
• Prioritize pressure monitoring to identify broad network health and guide interventions.
  • ally (residential) and Cordonel (C&I) meters provide network health data.
  • Applications, like Pressure Profile, analyze data and obtain actionable insights.
• Use acoustic monitoring to pinpoint leaks and repairs.
  •  Permalog+ pinpoints current and potential leaks.
• Adopt a systematic, multidisciplinary approach using the right technologies to reduce real losses and maximize ROI.

Integrate comprehensive monitoring solutions with Xylem’s Sensus to reduce water loss, improve sustainability, achieve regulatory compliance, and enhance service reliability. Connect with us to revolutionize water management with innovative, scalable tools.

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