Case Study: Colorado Springs Utilities achieves centralized water-data visibility and major cost & time reductions with OSIsoft PI System

Colorado Springs Utilities streamlines operations with centralized PI System data

Colorado Springs Utilities, a four‑service energy and water provider serving over 450,000 people, operates an extensive water quality program that processes 14,000 samples and 80,000 analytes annually across numerous treatment sites and 2,700 miles of pipeline. The Water Quality Assurance team struggled with fragmented data from multiple enterprise interfaces and heavy dependence on SCADA operators, which produced slow, manual reporting—sometimes taking up to three weeks—and delayed operational decision‑making.

They implemented a phased, centralized PI System—starting with a small trial and expanding to 17 interfaces feeding a Water PI Server and PI Collective, plus PI Coresight for real‑time access—integrating SCADA and RDBMS sources. The rollout delivered measurable gains: 58% reduction in overtime, 30% reduction in vehicle usage, 10% lower effluent chlorine costs, reporting time cut from weeks to about 15 minutes after authorization, upgraded instrumentation and increased reliable operating units, with plans for Notifications and ArcGIS integration.

Colorado Springs Utilities

David Mora

Water Quality Assurance Lead