Brownsville leverages $29.7m AMI rollout for proactive water leak detection program

Brownsville leverages $29.7m AMI rollout for proactive water leak detection programWith water meter installations reaching 82% completion, the Texas utility is utilizing hourly data to categorize and alert customers to continuous consumption, aiming to curb excessive water loss and enhance customer service.

The utility's $29.7 million Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project is 85% complete overall, with approximately 44,000 water meters installed.

A new notification program flags continuous water flow over a 24-hour period, segmenting alerts into low, moderate, and critical tiers.

Critical alerts for continuous flows exceeding 50 gallons per hour will trigger immediate notifications to customers via SMS and email.

The utility is also evaluating the future deployment of pretreatment sensors in sewer lines to automatically detect chemical discharges.

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) is leveraging its nearly complete Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) rollout to launch a proactive water leak detection system, shifting the utility from reactive billing to real-time customer alerts. During a September 14, 2026 meeting, Director of Enterprise Solutions Eddie Hernandez reported that the utility's $29.7 million AMI project, which is supplemented by a $5 million grant, is currently under budget and 85% complete overall. On the water side, installations are 82% complete with approximately 44,000 water meters deployed. The new network transitions the utility from monthly manual reads to hourly water data collection. To capitalize on this data influx, BPUB is rolling out a Continuous Water Consumption Notification Program. Senior Customer Service Manager Eddie Campidano detailed how the system will flag accounts showing continuous water flow over a 24-hour period. The program segments continuous consumption into three action tiers: low (under 10 gallons per hour), moderate (10 to 50 gallons per hour), and critical (over 50 gallons per hour). For critical leaks, the system will immediately notify customers via SMS or email between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM, generating daily follow-ups until the flow stops. Low-tier alerts will be dispatched the following business day. Campidano emphasized the conservation and financial impacts of the program, noting that residential leaks can sometimes reach up to 300,000 gallons a month—nearly 400 gallons an hour. By identifying issues before the monthly billing cycle concludes, the utility aims to reduce non-revenue water and mitigate bill shock for ratepayers. Beyond residential metering, BPUB is already exploring further infrastructure applications for its expanded data capabilities. Hernandez indicated the utility is evaluating the deployment of pretreatment sensors within its sewer lines to automatically detect specific chemicals in the wastewater collection system.