FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palmdale Water District, Calif. to Implement TruePoint Solutions™ TrueBill™ Utility Billing System

After a thorough RFP process that included on-site system demonstrations and existing client interviews, TruePoint Solutions™ has been selected to implement TrueBill™, our browser-based utility billing system at the Palmdale Water District (PWD).

TruePoint will directly provide all the services relating to this implementation including installation, configuration, training, testing and data conversion.

Per the RFP, Palmdale Water District invited proposals from qualified firms with outstanding qualifications, experience and knowledge to provide a fully integrated, preferably Windows-based, web-enabled applications information system for a Customer Information System (CIS). PWD was open to any software architecture suggested by the System Provider, but preferred a multi-tiered, web-based solution.

“It is the goal of the PWD to acquire a commercial-off-the-shelf product(s) that will be configured to provide the full range of CIS functionality, using proven state-of-the-art technology that will provide the ability to plan, control and account for the PWD’s business activities and resources. The system will be the foundational piece for the District.”

PWD Objectives

The selection and implementation of a new CIS will provide PWD with the opportunity to enhance all their current business processes and improve the efficiency of these processes. The opportunity to improve the current business processes and integration of functions is the primary reason for implementing a new CIS. The CIS system will be the foundational system for the Districts overall plan. The opportunities for improving PWD business process efficiencies can be grouped into the four major classifications: new and improved business functions, productivity improvements, integration improvements and new business opportunities, all of which were either met or exceeded with the TruePoint TrueBill solution.

Not Just Water Billing, Water Management

CIMIS Integration

TrueBill contains tools that connect with the entire CIMIS weather station network to acquire data, manage exceptions, and provide reporting. These tools have had many years of maturity and interface with any of the nearly 250 managed stations in the CIMIS network. Using these tools, data is automatically acquired in the background on a daily basis. This information is then used by TrueBill modules to perform advanced analysis, water budgeting, and water use predictions.

TrueBill maintains full weather history for the monitored stations. The advantage here is that this data can be used for reporting and analysis. Below is an example of a chart that was developed to show the correlation between rain events, Evapotranspiration and consumption on a particular site.

Water Budgets

TruePoint has been calculating customer water budgets using site specific models since 2005. These models are used in predictive, projected, and expected use scenarios in both an agricultural as well as residential water use setting.

About Palmdale Water District
PWD was formed in 1918 as a public Irrigation District under Division 11 of the California Water Code. PWD’s five-member governing body, the Board of Directors, is directly elected by the voters for a fixed term of four years and is responsible for setting policy and decision-making. The District’s responsible fiscal management and planning, provide the financial means to ensure reliable water system operations. The District has 100 employees and manages an operating budget of $22,600,000 per year. The District provides water services to over 116,000 residents in Palmdale, CA.

Formed in 1918, The District’s service area population is expected to more than double over the next 25 years which will cause water demands to more than double. The District’s boundaries now encompass approximately 187 square miles of land in northeastern Los Angeles County, consisting of more than 30 non-contiguous areas scattered throughout the Antelope Valley with the District’s primary service area within the City of Palmdale’s planning area. The distribution system has over 403 miles of pipeline ranging in size 4″ to 48″ in diameter, 24 active water wells, 14 booster pumping stations, and 20 water tanks with a total storage capacity of 50 million gallons of water.

Because of increasing power costs to operate these facilities, along with the possibility of power outages, the District developed alternatives for providing our own electrical generation using wind and sun resources. A wind turbine generator was installed at Palmdale Lake to provide a large majority of the power needed to operate the water treatment plant, and a solar array system was installed at the District’s shop facilities to offset power costs. The District also works closely with electricity and natural gas providers to ensure energy efficiency and the best possible rates. Learn more at Palmdale Water District

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