The drought in California has gotten worse over the past four years, to the extent that Gov. Jerry Brown has issued a mandatory drought restriction ordering cities and towns across California to cut back on their water usage by 25 percent.

Cutting back on water consumption may be easier said than done, especially if you’re dealing with leaky pipes you’re not aware of.

Thanks to developments in the Internet of Things (IoT), cutting back on water usage and monitoring for leaks can now be as easy as purchasing a device.

IoT solutions to help save water

Aclara Technologies

Aclara Technologies, LLC is leading the fight against droughts in California with its advanced metering infrastructure and leak detection technologies. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) installed Aclara’s STAR network, which is able to run water usage reading on an hourly basis, and the data collected from the city’s 180,000 meters using Aclara’s two-way fixed network powers the utility’s system for letting customers track usage online.

Aclara also generates a report that allows the utility to identify customers who may have leaks inside their homes. If a home is suspected to have a leak (one indicator could be excessively high water usage), the SFPUC sends a weekly postcard informing the homeowners of a possible leak. And it will keep sending these reminders until the issue has been resolved or consumption of water is reduced.

Most of Aclara’s California customers are also looking into installing the STAR ZoneScan system, which allows utilities to pinpoint underground leaks. The system has proven effective in Sylacauga, Ala., which uses the system to find underground leaks that occur across hundreds of miles of galvanized service lines and cast-iron pipes.

Piper Z-Wave Water Sensor

Piper (Icontrol Networks, Inc.), one of today’s many DIY home security solutions, launched a new Z-Wave Water Sensor, which will be very useful for those in drought-stricken areas, who live in flood-prone areas, or who reside in a house with very old pipes. The Water Sensor can detect the presence of water, as little as .03 percent of less than 1 millimeter, and can be set to trigger security rules and send notifications to your mobile device while you are home or away. The device easily pairs up with your Piper home monitoring system and could potentially save you hundreds of thousands in potential water damage.

PlantLink

Plants in California are now being replaced with drought-tolerant plants or plants that do not need much water to thrive. But if you don’t want to change the plants in your garden, then a system like PlantLink can help you reduce your water consumption while gardening, and can also help farmers better allocate water resources.

PlantLink is a system consisting of sensors, basestion and dashboard. The sensor or Link is pushed through the soil, and it analyzes the moisture in the soil and sends that data to the basestation and then to your dashboard, which you can access on your computer or phone, where your online watering schedule is regularly updated based on the type of plant you have and moisture level of the soil. By knowing how much water your plants actually need, you don’t need to guess or over water your plants. This also ensures that your plants get the adequate amount of water it needs to thrive.

The PlantLink system is available for $79.

Photo by Kevin Cortopassi