The water department of City of Bismarck, North Dakota has appointed Itron to assist in streamlining its water distribution system.
Itron network deployed by Montana-Dakota Utilities Company (MDU) will manage the system. MDU is provider of electric and natural gas service to North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Two utilities through a public-private partnership are joining together to share a communications network to manage city’s overall meter population.
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution along with Analytics Service provided by Itron will improve operational quality and modernize meter reading in Bismarck.
Bismarck can now reliably collect water and transform it into actionable commodity across the utility using this solution. Bismarck will receive usage information for better customer service, protect revenue and improved management of water resources. The utility can increase more value from its advanced metering investment to expand utility operations and asset management.
Moreover, Bismarck includes 21,000 water communication modules and associated collection technologies. They have entered into an agreement with MDU to provide water meter readings using Itron fixed network. The project will find out a cost-effective resolution for both utilities through a shared network.
Installation works will commence from late summer and will be completed within 18 months.
We look forward to benefiting from Itron’s AMI solution and taking advantage of MDU’s Itron communications network,” said Keith Demke, director, utility operations, City of Bismarck’s Public Works Department.
Two progressive utilities collaborate to share infrastructure to manage water and energy resources and this deployment is a great example for utilities with overlapping territories. Cooperation is possible and can benefit both utilities and the communities they serve, said Paula Billingham, vice president of sales, marketing and delivery, Water North America, Itron.