The Lakewood MUA is developing an automated system to detect and alert users of irregularities in water usage that could indicate a potentially costly leak.
While the MUA has a municipal system that detects leaks within their infrastructure, Executive Director Justin Flancbaum says he is coordinating a system to alert the end user as well of irregularities.
Until now, township MUA workers have actually gone through usage reports by hand to investigate when this was a concern. The MUA Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) is capable of automating these reports which would eliminate human error cut down on reaction time and free up manpower for other tasks.
The system can generate alarm reports that radios are dead, continuous usage alerts, unusual spikes, and other monitoring.
The MUA plans to introduce the program in Leisure Village which has very predictable and low usage. It’s also a class of Lakewood citizens most likely to miss a leak, either due to not being as on top of home maintenance, or because many seniors leave Lakewood during the colder months and would only discover such problems when they return in the Springtime.
Once assured the kinks have been worked out, the MUA will incorporate the auto-alerts throughout its service area. Auto reports scanning and spanning a full array of the possible irregularities are expected to be available within the next 2-3 months if all goes well.