According to Environment Canada, up to 15 percent of the total water entering the country’s supply line system is lost to leaking pipes. In an effort to help reduce water loss and mitigate the cost of infrastructure failure, the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta has contracted with Echologics to deliver an Internet of Things (IoT) smart city solution.
“Medicine Hat considers utility sustainability a strategic and economic issue. This IoT approach to leak detection will enable us to take another big step forward by cutting water loss and enabling us to quickly address small problems,” said Brian Murphy, general manager, environmental utilities for the city of Medicine Hat. “We’re happy to partner with Echologics and Bell to bring this innovative IoT solution to our municipality.”
Echologics – a developer of leak detection technology – will install more than 150 of its EchoShore®-DX smart nodes throughout the city’s water distribution network. These acoustic sensors will collect data about pressure, temperature, water quality and leaks, then wirelessly transmit that data through Bell Canada’s broadband wireless network to a dashboard monitored by the utility. It is expected that the real time monitoring and two-way communications will enable utilities to proactively locate and resolve leaks before they become catastrophes.
“We are proud to support Medicine Hat in this initiative, the first wide-scale project of its kind in Canada, to enable its sustainability objectives,” said Marc Bracken, vice president and general manager of Echologics. “Our solutions provide municipalities with the tools they need to make smarter decisions about their water infrastructure, help save time and money, and improve service for their citizens.”
