Leveraging on the accuracy of its volumetric meters, Diehl Metering has helped the Maltese utility Water Services Corporation (WSC) to reduce non-revenue water and overcome the challenges of low flow rates and high levels of limescale.
The archipelago of Malta in the central Mediterranean is a complex environment for water collection and treatment. Like many countries in southern Europe, its water tanks are located on rooftops, resulting in low flow rates of less than 250 litres per hour. Furthermore, around 60% of Malta’s drinking water comes from sea. This requires reverse osmosis, which uses calcium carbonite and therefore leaves high levels of limescale in water meters.
These, according to Diehl Metering, are the challenges faced by Water Services Corporation (WSC), the utility responsible for producing and distributing drinking water, as well as collecting and treating wastewater in the Maltese islands. Since 2018, WSC has been working with Diehl Metering to save water by reducing non-revenue water.
Over the last three years, the utility has been equipping its network with Diehl Metering’s ALTAIR volumetric water meters featuring 169MHz radio modules. Most recently, WSC has ordered new ALTAIR meters, which is fitted with a dual-zone filter to completely eliminate the issue of limescale residue while also providing resistance to sand. When the latest order is installed, almost 60% of the archipelago will be equipped with ALTAIR meters.
Despite the low flow rates, the meters have provided accuracy, thus contributing to a reduction in non-revenue water of around 4% so far, Diehl Metering reported. For WSC, this translates as reduced costs, less time wasted, and greater sustainability in its network.
