The CITY of soledad (CITY), located in the salinas valley of monterey county, provides water to more than 24,000 residents

The City of Soledad received a $2.8 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program (CFDA 15.507), awarded September 10, 2025, with a completion date of December 31, 2027. The grant funds the upgrade of approximately 3,500 existing non-Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) water meters to ultrasonic flowmeters equipped with AMI cellular technology (smart meters) throughout the City of Soledad's water system, which serves over 24,000 residents in Monterey County, California.

The deliverables include installation of smart meters at single-family residences, multi-family housing units, schools, commercial facilities, parks, and other municipal connections, along with implementation of a new subscription-based customer portal. The smart meter system provides real-time, highly accurate water consumption data and automated priority alarms for leak and reverse flow detection. These capabilities enable both the utility and residents to track water usage on hourly, daily, or weekly bases to support conservation goals and identify leaks promptly. The project includes a public awareness component through social media and utility billing communications to prepare residents to interpret and utilize the consumption data prior to implementation.

As a california CITY with an agriculture-based economy, water efficiency is critical to its daily operations and longevity. With nearly 4,400 total water connections throughout the CITY, soledad is proposing to upgrade to advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems in pursuit of improving water conservation and efficiency. The proposed work would include replacing or upgrading approximately 3,500 existing non-AMI meters with ultrasonic flowmeters equipped with AMI cellular technology (smart meters). This upgrade would also include implementation of a new subscription service customer portal. These smart meters would be installed at single family residences, multi-family housing units, schools, commercial customers, parks, and other municipal connections throughout the CITY of soledad. These advanced meters, in conjunction with the customer portal service, offer the CITY and its customers highly accurate meter readings to enhance water consumption data, and priority alarms for continuous leak and reverse flow events. Ultrasonic flowmeters will provide highly accuratereadings that AMI can send through wireless signals in real-time, allowing residents and soledad utility staff to track water use hourly, daily or weekly, making IT easier to achieve conservation targets and detect leaks. Benefits to utility customers include real-time information about water usage and more accurate water bills. To ensure residents are prepared to interpret and harness this new data, the CITY will provide information via social media, utility bills and more, prior to project implementation.