Phoenix, Arizona – February 2026 – The City of Phoenix Water Services Department has announced a 27% reduction in water leakage and 31% lower maintenance costs after deploying the ABB AI03 input module across its 280-mile drinking water distribution network. The upgrade, completed in Q1 2026, addressed critical blind spots in the city’s aging monitoring system—where legacy modules failed to detect small leaks and struggled with remote data transmission, wasting 4.2 million gallons of water annually and costing $290,000 in emergency repairs.
The Challenge: Invisible Leaks and Remote Monitoring Gaps
Prior to adopting the ABB AI03, Phoenix Water faced four pressing infrastructure challenges:
- Undetected Small Leaks: Legacy modules couldn’t measure pressure fluctuations smaller than 0.5 psi, missing 60% of small leaks (5–50 gallons per minute) in underground pipelines. These leaks escalated into major breaks, requiring costly excavations.
- Remote Site Connectivity Issues: 35% of the city’s pressure sensors are located in remote desert areas with limited power. Old modules consumed 15W of power, requiring frequent battery replacements (every 3 months) and leading to 8–10 days of data loss annually.
- Manual Data Collection: Technicians drove 1,200 miles weekly to collect sensor data from remote sites, costing $85,000 annually in labor and fuel.
- Compliance Reporting Delays: Data gaps and manual logging delayed monthly compliance reports for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), risking $100,000 in potential fines.
“Water is our most precious resource in the desert—our old modules were letting it slip through the cracks,” said Maria Gonzalez, Phoenix Water’s Infrastructure Director. “We needed a low-power, remote-capable input module that could detect even the smallest leaks and send data in real time, without constant human intervention.”
ABB AI03 Input Module: The Smart Solution for Water Distribution
After evaluating competitors from Endress+Hauser and Honeywell, Phoenix Water selected the ABB AI03 for its low power consumption, high sensitivity, and remote connectivity:
- High-Precision Pressure Monitoring: 24-bit analog-to-digital conversion detects pressure fluctuations as small as 0.05 psi, identifying small leaks before they escalate. Compatible with piezoelectric pressure sensors commonly used in water networks.
- Low Power Operation: Consumes just 3W of power (80% less than legacy modules), extending battery life to 18 months in remote sites and eliminating frequent replacements.
- Wireless & Wired Connectivity: Supports LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, and Modbus TCP/IP, enabling real-time data transmission from remote desert sites to the city’s SCADA system. No more manual data collection.
- Weather-Resistant Design: IP67-rated housing (dust-tight and waterproof) withstands Phoenix’s extreme temperatures (-10°C to +55°C) and monsoon season humidity.
- Compliance-Ready Data Logging: Automatically logs pressure, flow, and leak data with time stamps, generating ADEQ-compliant reports in minutes instead of weeks.
Results: Water Conservation and Operational Efficiency
Six months post-deployment, Phoenix Water achieved transformative outcomes:
| Metric |
Before ABB AI03 |
After ABB AI03 |
Improvement |
| Water Leakage Volume |
4.2M Gallons/Year |
3.07M Gallons/Year |
27% Reduction |
| Emergency Repairs |
28/Year |
12/Year |
57% Reduction |
| Remote Site Data Loss |
8–10 Days/Year |
0 Days/Year |
100% Elimination |
| Compliance Reporting Time |
5 Days/Month |
8 Hours/Month |
87% Savings |
“The AI03 has turned our blind spots into visible, actionable data,” Gonzalez said. “We’re now detecting leaks within hours, not weeks, and saving millions of gallons of water annually. For a desert city, that’s not just efficient—it’s essential.”
David Chen, ABB’s Global Product Manager for Water Infrastructure Solutions, emphasized the AI03’s role in smart water management: “Cities worldwide face water scarcity and aging infrastructure challenges. The AI03 delivers the precision and connectivity needed to make water distribution systems more resilient, efficient, and sustainable.”
Phoenix Water plans to expand the ABB AI03 deployment to its wastewater collection network in 2026, targeting a 20% reduction in sewer overflows and 25% lower operational costs.
