FPUD approves contract with WaterSmart Software

The Fallbrook Public Utility District will be using WaterSmart Software, Inc., technology to track water use.

On Feb. 22, FPUD's board voted 5-0 to authorize FPUD general manager Brian Brady to enter into a three-year professional services agreement with WaterSmart Software, Inc. FPUD will pay WaterSmart $19,820 annually along with a one-time $10,000 setup fee to develop a link between FPUD's technology system and WaterSmart's Cloud system.

"This is add-on software to our billing system that will allow our customers to download a mobile application where they can see their water usage and how they stack up against their water allocation," Brady said.

The WaterSmart software provides water utility managers with analytics from a data base which help improve customer interactions, reduce water loss, and improve operational efficiency. The analytics for use by the district which are provided in a WaterSmart utility dashboard include consumption and behavior analytics by customer segment, leak and high-usage alerts once FPUD converts to an advanced metering infrastructure, violation and enforcement management, and mapping.

The customer portal which utilizes the district's current automated meter reading technology includes all-hours access to the on-line Web and mobile portal, real-time usage data once the advanced metering infrastructure is implemented, gallons per day usage information and a personalized water score, personalized water-saving actions, rotating content modules including drought targeting, neighborhood comparisons, seasonal usage, an estimated annual end use, targeted recommendations, historical trends, a history of user actions, nudges and alerts, and an annual portal engagement letter.

FPUD expects to fund the contract costs through revenue from drought penalty fees.