The San Bernardino Municipal Water Department (SBMWD) has been selected to receive a $2,000,000 grant for Phase I of its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. The award was made available through the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program.
As part of a multi-year plan, Phase I of the AMI project will install data communication infrastructure, upgrade 7,500 water meters to smart metering technology, and connect over one quarter of the Department’s total water meters to an advanced metering network.
This project will save water with more timely correction of leaks, notification of abnormal consumption patterns, and provide access to real-time water use data through a new customer engagement portal. Resulting water savings will offset water pumped from San Bernardino’s primary water source, the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, and help reduce the need to purchase imported water supplies to recharge the basin.
Phase I of SBWMD’s AMI project is one of only twenty selected for funding out of 147 projects submitted across California. “The system upgrades accomplished through the AMI project will allow SBMWD to increase operational efficiencies, save water, and provide better services to the Department’s customers. The Department is grateful to be one of the twenty applicants selected for the first round of funding through the DWR’s Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief program,” said Miguel Guerrero, SBMWD General Manager. “The advanced metering network supports the many actions SBMWD is taking to mitigate drought impacts and ensure sustainability of local water supplies.”
“We remain committed to investing in our communities today to ensure a future built on safe and reliable water supplies and a healthy environment,” said Department of Water Resources Director, Karla Nemeth. “As we develop long-term strategies to address California’s changing climate and future dry conditions, we must take action now to assist local and regional agencies in managing through another historic drought.” The DWR’s Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant program is one of several drought funding programs intended to provide relief for communities affected by drought conditions.
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