Colorado city uses 15-minute water data from smart meters to catch illegal lawn watering
Image Credit: Wikipedia Why has Aurora turned to smart water meters Smart Metre. Image Credit: EVB Energy Ltd/Wikipedia How do the smart meters detect lawn
Image Credit: Wikipedia Why has Aurora turned to smart water meters Smart Metre. Image Credit: EVB Energy Ltd/Wikipedia How do the smart meters detect lawn watering What happens when a resident breaks the watering rules Aurora say the technology matters during drought Aurora Municipal Centre. Image Credit: Ken Lund/ Wikipedia Does the system raise privacy concerns Aurora, Colorado, is using smart water meters to enforce drought rules as the city faces severe water shortages. The meters track water use throughout the day. This allows Aurora Water, the city’s municipal utility department, to identify lawns being watered outside the permitted schedule.Under the city’s current Stage 1 drought restrictions, grass can be watered only two days a week and not between 10am and 6pm. A third watering day can therefore stand out in the data and lead to a warning or fine. The approach gives the city a way to monitor thousands of properties without relying entirely on neighbours to report violations. It also shows how water conservation is becoming more closely linked with digital technology, as Aurora tries to reduce outdoor water use while protecting reservoirs that are only about half full during a particularly dry year across Aurora.Aurora is dealing with a serious water shortage. According to the ‘City of Aurora’s drought information,’ the city is currently in Stage 1 drought, with reservoirs only about half full.
The city says returning those supplies to sustainable levels could take several wet winters. As part of its response, Aurora Water is asking residents to reduce outdoor water use by 20%.That has made lawn watering a particular focus. Under the current restrictions, grass can be watered only two days each week.Watering is also prohibited between 10am and 6pm, while other measures cover issues such as irrigation leaks, water running onto streets and unrestricted hose use. The rules would be difficult to enforce manually across a city of hundreds of thousands of residents. Smart meters give Aurora Water another option of allowing the utility to see when water is being used and spot patterns that may indicate irrigation.The system is part of Aurora's Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI. According to the ‘City of Aurora's Advanced Metering Infrastructure,’ the meters record water flow at regular intervals and send readings to Aurora Water using a mobile phone signal. The system provides the utility with a much clearer picture of how much water is being used and when. The Colorado Sun reported that Aurora's meters provide updates every 15 minutes. That level of detail means a sudden increase in water use can reveal when an irrigation system has switched on.If the same property waters its lawn for a third day in a week, the pattern can be picked up by the system.
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