Case Study: Ames Water and Pollution Control Department achieves real-time water-distribution visibility and faster, targeted leak response with Trimble Unity Remote Monitoring

Ames, Iowa Gains Critical Insight Into Water Distribution System with Remote Monitoring

Ames, Iowa’s Water and Pollution Control and Public Works departments—responsible for delivering water to about 65,000 residents over 250 miles of mains—faced slow, imprecise leak detection and limited pressure visibility that made it hard to locate breaks and define accurate boil-water advisories. The city needed a secure, internet-accessible monitoring system separate from the water plant’s SCADA to provide real-time, actionable data and reduce public-health risk and operational disruption.

Ames implemented Trimble Telog sensors and the Trimble Unity Remote Monitoring platform with an ArcGIS connector, installing devices at river crossings, towers, pump stations, valves, and hydrants to stream pressure and transient data. The system enabled faster, data-driven responses—recently narrowing a boil-water advisory to three businesses during a main break—reduced manual inspections, improved daily asset-management decisions, and is being expanded to fill remaining coverage gaps.

Ames Water and Pollution Control Department

Dustin Albrecht

Environmental Specialist