Aurora Water using smart meters to save water and money for residents - CBS Colorado

Apr 07, 2025

April 6, 2025 / 4:19 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

Water can be a scarce resource in Colorado, so conservation is vital. Aurora Water is doing its part by giving customers powerful new technology to protect them from waste.

"We are a water utility that is very focused on water conservation. Our customers know that, and they've embraced it," said Shonnie Cline, deputy of internal and external affairs for Aurora Water.

When aging water meters needed to be replaced, they decided it was time to use tech to help them save as much of the precious resource as possible and save customers a little money.

Since 2020, Aurora Water has worked to replace all its water meters with smart meters. Instead of requiring an employee to drive around once every 30 days to collect water usage data, these meters send usage data every 15 minutes.

"We've got an entire team of people that's keeping an eye on data to make sure that if there's large leaks, we get alerts. We're calling people and saying, 'hey, there's something going on out there in the field, so you need to go out and check,'" Cline said.

That means leaks are fixed quickly, and customers can help. Their new online portal, which launched April 1, allows customers to log in and set up an alert that will notify them by text or email if water is constantly running through their meter, indicating a costly leak.

"A toilet, if it's left stuck on it, can go up to up to 350 gallons per hour, " Cline said. "It doesn't take a lot of water running through your meter continuously to increase those water bills."

Plus, customers can track their usage in hourly increments. These are tools Aurora Water hopes will really help as people conserve as they start to fire up those sprinklers this spring.

"We're really encouraging people to log in and start using this because if you see water running during the day, you know you're not there, and your systems not supposed to be on, it could really indicate that you've got an outdoor leak," Cline said.

Michael Abeyta is a general assignment reporter/MSJ for CBS News Colorado. Read his latest reports or check out his bio and send him an email.

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