Fort Worth Reduces Field Investigations by 90% with Xylem’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Barchart · 10/15 07:55

Fort Worth Water’s implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) led to a 90% reduction in field investigations and more than $1 million in cost savings with Xylem technology. The utility enabled near real-time data collection and secure transmission by installing nearly 300,000 residential and commercial meters compatible with Xylem’s Sensus FlexNet® communication network.

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Xylem's data-driven approach helps Fort Worth Water properly categorize water loss and pinpoint where repairs are needed. (Photo: Business Wire)

Xylem's data-driven approach helps Fort Worth Water properly categorize water loss and pinpoint where repairs are needed. (Photo: Business Wire)

Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation with more than 21,000 new residents in 2023, according to the Fort Worth Report. As the population nears 1 million, Fort Worth Water’s AMI is vital in successfully managing the increased demand.

“This new technology is delivering substantial annual cost savings, improving the customer experience and reducing water loss,” said Marty Barker, AMI administrator at the City of Fort Worth. “We now feel confident we are providing the best service possible to our customers while operating more efficiently.”

Transitioning from manual meter reading to remote management, streamlined operations and empowered customers to monitor their water usage. As a result, annual field investigations of customer inquiries into high water usage and bills dropped dramatically, from more than 7,000 before AMI in 2019 to less than 700 in 2024.

With more accurate reporting, Fort Worth now has a clearer picture of true water loss, leading to better decision-making. The city can pinpoint where repairs are needed and properly categorize areas of loss into apparent and real water losses. This technology has also made it possible to create district metering areas and explore innovations like digital twins, which weren’t possible before.

Fort Worth’s population increased by 200,000 over the past decade, making the Texas boomtown the 12th-largest U.S. city. The technology upgrades have benefited Fort Worth Water. Upon transitioning to AMI, the utility immediately recognized the increase in data and leveraged this information to track continuous water usage over 72 hours, alerting customers directly. Before implementing this data-driven solution, it would typically take two or three months for customers to become aware of a problem.

To learn more about how Xylem technology has helped Fort Worth Water address their growing population, read the case study.

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company that empowers customers and communities to build a more water-secure world. Our 23,000 diverse employees delivered combined pro forma revenue of $8.1 billion in 2023, optimizing water and resource management with innovation and expertise. Join us at xylem.com and Let’s Solve Water.