San Antonio Water System

VASS Solutions is assisting San Antonio Water System (SAWS) with the implementation of the SAWS ConnectH2O Program – which includes the deployment of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution, implementation of a Meter Data Management System (MDMS), and management of an Endpoint Installation (EPI) vendor.

The SAWS ConnectH2O program is enabling automated meter reading and over-the-air billing, identifying customer leaks, and improving asset utilization. ConnectH2O captures and presents interval data to SAWS customers providing them with the information needed to manage the consumption of water. ConnectH2O is considered essential to achieving SAWS near and long-term water conservation efforts.

During the Summer of 2021, ConnectH2O conducted a Pilot that validated the capabilities of static metering. Static meter technology will provide SAWS with the capability to measure low water flows unable to be detected by a positive displacement meter. With the use of static meters, utilities can reduce their non-revenue water losses by capturing more of a customer’s actual consumption. Low flow measurement also enables broader identification of customer side water leaks. Additionally, static meters have no moving parts, so the accuracy of measurement won’t degrade over time.

On October 6, 2020, SAWS’ Board approved the Pilot phase of the ConnectH2O Program. VASS Solutions assisted with the creation of AMI, MDMS, and EPI vendor RFPs; helped create the overall negotiations strategy; and facilitated the three contract negotiations. SAWS selected Itron as its AMI solution provider, Harris SmartWorks as its MDMS solution provider, and Vanguard Utility Services as its EPI services provider. During the Pilot, VASS Solutions provided program implementation services, facilitated acceptance testing, and contributed subject matter expertise while validating the ConnectH2O technologies.

On December 7, 2021, SAWS’ Board authorized SAWS to proceed with full system wide deployment. During the full system wide deployment, VASS Solutions has been engaged to continue to provide program implementation services and subject matter expertise as SAWS deploys its AMI and MDMS solutions for nearly 600,000 endpoints over a 45-month period.

San Antonio Water System provides water and wastewater services to more than 1.8 million customers in the San Antonio region and continues to set the standard for service and water conservation within our industry. SAWS is the national leader in water innovation with the largest direct recycled water system in the country, a state-of-the-art inland desalination plant, and the largest groundwater-based Aquifer Storage & Recovery facility in the nation. VASS Solutions is a privately owned company servicing electric, water and gas utility clients and their strategic AMI, SmartGrid, and Digital Utility programs.