Across rural territories, I hear the same concern: How can we ensure a reliable and sustainable water service while protecting the resource?
Larisa Catrin, Project Manager, Diehl Metering
Guided by this challenge, Larisa and her team supported Loire Forez Agglomération, a rural region of 81 municipalities, in modernizing its public water service through smart water metering and digitalization.
The utility’s goal was clear: improve metering accuracy, protect the resource, and begin the transition toward a digital water network.
Understanding the challenge: manual meter reading, leaks and non-revenue water in a rural network
Loire Forez faced a common issue in rural territories:
an aging and heterogeneous network, where a mix of manual and automatic meter reading was both time-consuming and difficult to organize over a large geographic area.
When the Loire Forez teams shared their feedback with Larisa, the results were particularly rewarding:
By investing in pipes renewal and upgrading their meters, they significantly improved network efficiency. A real and measurable step forward.
And with automated meter reading, teams save considerable time in the field!
A complex network, a rural territory — and the need for a flexible smart metering strategy
Because the territory included multiple technologies and widely dispersed meters, Diehl Metering needed to design a progressive smart water metering solution that could adapt to each zone without disrupting daily operations.
The solution: AMR, AMI—three complementary modes on a single digital platform
To meet these challenges, the project team deployed a hybrid and interoperable smart water metering system combining several remote water meter reading technologies:
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Walk-By and Drive-By AMR (automatic water meter reading) with predefined routes on rugged tablets — ideal for areas with low meter density.
- Passive Drive-By using receivers mounted on municipal vehicles (such as waste collection trucks), enabling efficient mobile AMR and saving operator’s valuable time.
- A fixed IoT AMI network for continuous, automatic data collection, offering real-time visibility and enhanced leak detection.
All data is centralized in IZAR PLUS Portal, the digital platform that transforms raw metering data into actionable insights — a concrete example of “data to action” to support the transition toward a digital water utility.
Choosing long-term performance: the ALTAIR V5 smart water meters
At the heart of the system, ALTAIR V5 smart water meters ensure:
- highly accurate digital water metering
- early smart water leak detection, even at very low flow (0.2l/h)
- compatibility with OMS and IZAR R3 / R4 for seamless integration in a fixed IoT AMI network
Their eco-design contributes to reducing the carbon footprint while improving non-revenue water reduction and strengthening the protection of the water resource.
Human-centered support throughout the project
For Larisa, the success of a digital water metering project goes far beyond technology:
The challenge was not only technical but human. We needed to simplify meter reading and give field teams more time to focus on improving network performance.
Larisa Catrin, Project Manager, Diehl Metering
Diehl Metering supported Loire Forez at every stage — assessment, consulting, training and ongoing assistance — strengthening the utility’s operational control and relationship with its customers.
Results: faster meter reading, leak detection and improved billing accuracy
Today, 75% of all meters in Loire Forez are remotely read via AMR/AMI.
This marks a major step in the region’s digital transformation:
- significant non-revenue water reduction
- fewer field interventions
- real-time supervision of the water network
- measurable improvement in overall performance
- enhanced billing accuracy and service quality for end users
Loire Forez is now a strong example of how smart water metering and an interoperable fixed IoT network can help rural utilities accelerate their digital transformation.
In the video, Larisa answers essential questions such as:
- How to choose the right meter reading mode (Walk-By, Drive-By, Passive Drive-By or AMI)?
- How to select the best software platform for modelling a water network?
- What is a digital twin and how can it support water utilities?
She covers these topics in the full project interview.
Dive into the complete testimonial from Loire Forez Agglomération on YouTube and discover how smart water metering is shaping the future of rural water management.
Looking to modernize your own water utility?
Discover how Diehl Metering can support you in deploying a scalable, sustainable and future-proof smart water metering solution tailored to your territory.
