Southern Rural Water (SRW) seeks to automate the manual, labour-intensive task of individually visiting meter sites to obtain usage information by installing devices and telemetry systems to enable near real time information across widespread areas. The devices are being rolled out according to highest use / highest priority areas across the region. The overall aim is to have approximately 75% of all surface water and ground water meters under the system by 2025.

Automatic meter reading provides multi-faceted benefits to SRW, its customer base and the wider community through more effective resource management. It allows more agile and proactive management for both individual users and resource managers. SRW field staff are able to spend more time with customers ensuring they are managing their entitlements to maximise productivity, whilst minimising potential overuse of resources. This is achieved through instant access to individual and area based usage from surface water and groundwater.