El Paso Water leverages AMI 'dry codes' for outage mapping, accelerates transmission main replacement

El Paso Water leverages AMI 'dry codes' for outage mapping, accelerates transmission main replacementFollowing a major 36-inch transmission main break, El Paso Water is deploying data from its ongoing digital meter rollout to map pressure zones in real-time while fast-tracking the replacement of 7,500 feet of aging concrete pipeline.

EPWater is replacing 7,500 feet of a 70-year-old reinforced steel cylinder concrete pipe at an estimated cost of $1 million per 1,000 feet.

The utility is using 'dry codes' from newly installed digital meters to accurately track service interruptions and pressure losses.

Post-incident data analysis revealed the actual number of customers without water during the recent Northeast main break was approximately 10,000, significantly lower than the initial estimate of 38,000.

The utility's citywide smart meter installation is currently 85% complete, enabling near real-time geographic isolation of future outages.

El Paso Water (EPWater) is integrating advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) data into its emergency response protocols and accelerating capital pipeline replacements following a major 36-inch transmission main break in its Northeast sector. During a June 10 meeting of the Public Service Board, Gilbert Trejo, Vice President of Operations and Technical Services, announced the utility is actively working with a contractor to replace 7,500 linear feet of the 70-year-old reinforced steel cylinder concrete pipeline. The replacement is estimated to cost $1 million per 1,000 feet. The new pipeline will be installed parallel to the existing line in a dirt easement to minimize service and traffic disruptions. Trejo noted that visual inspections during recent valve installations revealed the pipeline was in poor condition, prompting the immediate replacement of the critical segment, with further neighborhood pipeline replacements to be budgeted in the future. Alongside the physical infrastructure upgrade, EPWater is leveraging its ongoing rollout of digital meters to improve outage mapping and emergency communication. While the meters do not record pressure directly, they transmit a 'dry code' when air enters the pipeline, serving as a real-time surrogate indicator of service loss. Retrospective analysis of the January main break using this AMI data allowed the utility to map the exact clusters of affected customers. According to Trejo, the data revealed that only about 10,000 customers actually lost water service, far fewer than the 38,000 initially estimated based on customer call-ins and employee reports. EPWater's digital meter deployment is currently 85% complete citywide. Once fully integrated, the system will provide near real-time maps of system pressure zones. This will allow the utility to precisely target boil water notices, optimize valve isolation and pumping strategies, and communicate directly with affected households. EPWater is also working with its meter vendor to explore automated emergency alerts triggered by localized dry code clusters.