City of Jal, New Mexico
Advanced Metering Infrastructure
Background
The City of Jal is a small municipality located in the drought-prone southeastern region of New Mexico, where summer temperatures can exceed 120°F. In this extreme desert environment, water is the City’s most critical resource.
Facing aging water infrastructure and increasing pressure to manage limited water supplies responsibly, the City sought a modern turnkey solution to upgrade its water metering system.
Challenge
Jal’s legacy water metering system offered limited visibility into customer usage and system performance. Without this data, the City struggled to quickly identify leaks, accurately capture low-flow usage, and proactively manage water loss. Manual meter reads added inefficiencies for staff and increased the risk of billing inaccuracies.
To move forward, the City needed a modern metering solution that could improve operational efficiency, strengthen customer service, and support conservation goals—without requiring upfront capital or increasing risk.
Project Description
The City of Jal partnered with Sustainability Partners to deploy a comprehensive Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution through Metering as a Service.
Sustainability Partners procured, deployed, and provides ongoing lifecycle care for ultrasonic smart water meters that remotely transmit near real-time water usage data. Working with local vendors, Sustainability Partners delivered a turnkey solution that includes the meter data collection system, advanced analytics with leak detection capabilities, integration with the City’s existing billing system, staff training, continuous monitoring, and long-term maintenance.
The result is a resilient, future-ready water metering system designed to perform reliably in Jal’s extreme desert environment while supporting accurate billing, conservation, and proactive system management.
Impact
The new ultrasonic water metering system is already delivering measurable value for the City of Jal. Access to near real-time usage data allows staff to identify leaks sooner, capture accurate readings across all flow levels, and use reliable system insights to guide water management decisions.
Operational efficiency and billing accuracy have improved, while customers now have greater visibility into their own water use. This transparency builds trust and supports conservation in a drought-sensitive region where water stewardship is essential.
Through Metering as a Service, the City retains full use and control of the AMI system without upfront cost, reducing risk and preserving capital for other critical needs. Together, these outcomes strengthen Jal’s long-term water resilience, improve customer experience, and protect the community’s most vital resource.
