The Power of Data: Why it Matters for Water Systems

Bringing all your paper records and spreadsheets into modern digital systems lets you make smarter choices using data, so your utility can operate even better than before.

Water utilities today face a variety of challenges, from aging infrastructure to tighter regulations. However, the solution to these issues lies in data, as it is the key to delivering higher quality and more reliable service. Complete, accurate data is the key to running a high-performing, customer-centric utility.

By digitizing and centralizing critical operational data, water systems can:

Better manage assets and infrastructure lifecycles
Predict and prevent main breaks before they happen
Identify high-risk areas and make data-driven capital investment decisions
Optimize operational efficiency to reduce costs
Achieve regulatory compliance with streamlined reporting
Enhance customer service with enhanced communications and notifications
Increase transparency and public trust

However, many utilities still rely on outdated paper records and siloed data in spreadsheet. This introduces major limitations:

No way to analyze data holistically for operational insights
Difficulty accessing records - vulnerable to loss/destruction
Inefficient and error-prone manual reporting
Limited visibility into network-wide performance

So what does this look like in practice and how can you apply good data management into your day-to-day? Let's use your service line inventory as an example.

Collecting your inventory of service lines and assets is just the first step. The real work comes in maintaining it. An inventory managed in spreadsheets or file cabinets quickly becomes outdated and unreliable.

That's why partnering with 120Water is so valuable. It allows you to:

Consolidate critical data like addresses, parcel details, service connections, and customer information into a single system of record. No more fragmented systems.
Use the system to minimize duplicates and inconsistencies through standardized naming conventions and data validation checks as you load records.
Develop workflows to continually update the inventory as changes occur. Track installations, replacements, send automated notifications, etc.
Connect field staff so data is verified and enters the system in real-time.
Gain visibility into data gaps and target areas that need improvement.
Create a public facing map view of your service line inventory for customers
Provide reports to leadership and other key stakeholders
Ensure readiness to comply with current and future regulations.

An accurate, actionable inventory doesn't just happen. It requires investing in solutions that make it easy to not only load but maintain data over the long term. By partnering with 120Water, you are embracing technology to consolidate data, gaining the ability to extract value, enabling smarter decisions, and driving digital transformation to set your utility up for success today and in the future.