Water Campaign™ case study

Logan City Council, Qld

Deeper Data for Deeper Cuts

: Community action

: Corporate action

: Partnerships

: Water conservation

Logan City is a large urban council located 32 kilometres south of Brisbane with a population of 260,021. Council joined the Water Campaign™ in 2007.

Synopsis

: The existing water meter, to which is attached the new smart meter tranceiver

Until 2009, Logan City Council operated its own local water utility, Logan Water, supplying water and sewer services to the area. Although currently separating under Queensland water reforms, the two organisations maintain a very close relationship.

So close, in fact, that they have developed state-of-the-art water data software and implemented best practice ‘smart metering’ technology to better monitor water consumption in their own operations and in the community.

Logan City is the only Queensland council currently involved in the ICLEI Oceania Water Campaign™ and is keenly utilising the support available through this program to further water savings.

Motivation

After a highly successful water demand management program, it was acknowledged that Council could not further decrease water consumption without the availability of more accurate and flexible data, and regular monitoring.

Between 2004–05 and 2008–09, Council reduced corporate water consumption by up to 60 per cent in some areas, through actions such as major retrofits of toilets, fixtures and irrigation systems and training of one of Council’s own plumbers as a certified Green Plumber to carry out Council-wide audits. This plumber is now also conducting free audits for business.

Council hopes that with the new, improved data it will be able to target more obscure water saving opportunities, as well as develop a more rapid response to leakage.

Funding and partners

Logan City Council used internal funds to develop the software and secured $108,000 from the Queensland Department of Local Government to implement the Smart Metering pilot project.

The roll out of smart metering is intended to be a joint venture between Logan Water and high water-using business customers.

Process

The water data management system was developed in conjunction with Ibis Information Systems (a Melbourne-based company). Council provided the specifications and advice on the needs of water utilities, and Ibis built the software accordingly. The collaboration was a two-year process, and the software is now being purchased by other water utilities.

Council’s existing property management system included all historical data relating to water meters. This ten-year history of 90,000 connections was transferred to a SQL database before being utilised by the new Ibis system.

In addition to the development of software to make better use of existing data, Logan City Council and Logan Water are using Smart Metering to provide better data. The Smart Metering project started with a pilot on Council buildings with the highest water consumption. Smart Meters record data in digital format and stream consumption values to web based software called ‘Hydro Share’ via the 3G network.

Savings and benefits

: The smart meter tranceiver

The Ibis system can perform a huge range of operations within minutes, and can represent data in a graphical form. For example, a decade of trends can be displayed specific to criteria such as building type (based on ANZECC codes), suburbs, houses with/without rainwater tanks, and houses with rainwater tanks installed within the last 15 months that have/haven’t been plumbed internally.

The system can also be used to model the effects of potential scenarios, such as different fixed and consumption charges.

The Smart Metering and the on line ‘Hydro Share’ software allow much closer real time monitoring, at a building or sub-meter scale, for rapid leak detection and understanding of consumption patterns within and between days.

Council is currently monitoring eight properties, including two swimming pools, one works depot, one parks and reserves depot, one wastewater treatment plant and three administrative buildings.

The recently installed technology has already enabled a number of issues to be identified, including problems at a swimming pool, which led to savings of 70kilolitres per day (25 megalires per year). The improved data has also been used set more meaningful base lines for water consumption.

Water conservation benefits

Council will use the improved data to identify and better implement more water saving actions. Logan Water is using the improved data to help its customers conserve water through partnerships with major water users and schools.

Financial benefits

Council paid a greatly reduced rate for the software in exchange for assistance in its development. The ease of access to improved data will save staff time, both when identifying data and when measuring and estimating savings, while helping Council make its water saving actions more cost-effective.

Community Leadership

Logan City Council and Logan Water are leading by example, and value the potential of the new information to demonstrate to their community/customers how they too can save additional water. The ability to analyse consumption patterns in the area will be used to inform educational campaigns and community partnerships.

Eventually, all 52 schools in the Logan area will be smart metered by integrating the new technology into the already established school education program 'Water for Life' (named prior to the unrelated Sydney educational program) and provide children with a direct link to their own usage patterns, and ownership of reductions in consumption.

Further information

Logan City Council website.

Ibis Information System website.

Contact details

For further information about the ICLEI Water Campaign™ in Australia please contact:

ICLEI Oceania
5/267 Collins St
Melbourne Vic 3000
Ph:   +61 3 9639 8688
Fax:   +61 3 9639 8677
Email:   oceania@iclei.org
Website:   www.iclei.org/oceania/water

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the staff at Logan City Council for their assistance in producing this case study.

Quoted population figures are taken from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Report 3218.0, Regional Population Growth, Australia 2006-07, March 2008.

Call for future case studies

Does your council have an initiative that could be promoted by the Water Campaign™ as a future case study?

We’d like to hear if your council has implemented an innovative water saving initiative or project to improve water quality. Contact your Water Campaign State Manager with details.

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