Case Study: Advanced Water Leak Detection Solution
Custom zone metering from High Tide Technologies gives Dickson County Water Authority advanced water leak detection capabilities in isolated areas – saving time and money
- Location: Dickson, TN
- Products: HTT-1100 units with custom 60-watt solar panels
- Utility: Water Authority of Dickson County
- Distributor: WASCON Inc.
Overview: Water Authority of Dickson County
The Water Authority of Dickson County (WADC) is a regional water and wastewater provider that serves over 40,000 residents in Dickson, Hickman, and Williamson counties. Since their inception, WADC has experienced impressive growth – over 40% in water customers and over 100% in wastewater customers. They expect to continue their exponential growth in an effort to supply the long-term water and wastewater needs of the communities they serve.
Customer Relationship Origins
WADC is a long-time customer of High Tide Technologies. The relationship began in 2008 with WADC adding several HTT-1100 units to monitor their expanding water system. This marked a transition from radio-based SCADA to cloud-based SCADA that saved WADC a substantial amount of money while providing them with vital information about the health of their equipment and operations. Over the years, WADC continues to turn to High Tide Technologies whenever they need to upgrade their monitoring systems.
Custom Zone Metering Solution with Cloud-Based SCADA System
Most recently, WADC purchased sixty-seven HTT-1100 units as part of a comprehensive cloud-based SCADA solution to implement zone metering on their water main. According to Steve Bennett from WASCON Inc, “WADC needed a solution that allowed them to segment their entire system, eliminating costly water leaks.”
With 657 miles of water main, efficient zone metering is crucial to WADC’s operations. The custom solution provided by High Tide Technologies has effectively divided WADC’s coverage area into zones, enabling them to isolate and fix leaks in a timely manner. Along with providing timely information about water leaks, the custom SCADA solution helps WADC in their efforts to scale company growth. With access to data on flow rates in specific zones, they can accurately gauge supply and demand as populations grow.
Custom Solar Panels to Power Water Meters
For this application, the HTT-1100 units were equipped with 60-watt solar panels to power the unit as well as WADC’s equipment. This allowed WADC to install a meter anywhere they wanted to collect data. What is particularly noteworthy about WADC’s HTT-1100 units is the solar panel customization. David B. Mundie, PhD., president of High Tide Technologies noted, “We boosted the wattage of the solar panels to accommodate the power required by the HTT-1100 units along with WADC’s meters. Our standard unit is 30 watts, we went up to 60 watts.”
Saving Time and Money Due to Costly Water Leaks
Time is money. In the water industry, water is also money. Every lost gallon of water is money down the drain. According to Mike Adams, Executive Director of the Water Authority of Dickson County, “The High Tide solution provides our operators with real-time data, streamlining efficiency and saving us a lot of money.”
The custom zone metering solution provided by High Tide Technologies not only helps the Water Authority of Dixon County learn about the health of their equipment, but it also helps them learn about system functionality. Through High Tide’s secure client portal, WADC has access to real-time data that provides insight on preventive equipment maintenance, pump run, drain, and fill times. The system also sends alarm notifications that signal equipment failures or high water usage. High Tide’s custom zone metering solution has enabled WADC operators to remotely monitor location-specific data, improving system functions while minimizing waste.