Abstract

Using GIS to Efficiently Eliminate Water Theft
Track: Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater
Authors: Jason Bethke

With decreasing revenues and increasing foreclosure rates, cities, municipalities and districts need to be diligent about ensuring that all water delivered is both billed for and collected. In the case of shut-offs for non-payment, a utility is typically incapable of identifying when a service that has been disconnected has been illegally reconnected until the next meter read - often 30 to 60 days after the shut off. The result is substantial water and revenue losses. Global Utilities, by integrating AMI, GIS, CIS and CMMS, was able to develop a daily visual report that indicates whether water is being used in a service that has been disconnected. Intersecting the CIS dataset with the AMI dataset on a daily basis and displaying the results through GIS and serving the data to CMMS, areas where water theft is occurring can be identified and the appropriate enforcement measures can be taken.