LIBERTY LAKE, WA, Feb. 20, 2013 -- Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) announced today that the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department (San Diego) has selected Itron’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution for the automation of the City’s commercial and industrial (C&I) water meters. Itron’s solution will help streamline meter reading and enhance customer service by enabling San Diego to instantaneously access water usage data using AMI technology.

The contract includes a citywide fixed-base communication network infrastructure, water communication modules for C&I meters and private cloud managed services. The AMI solution will provide remote meter reading capabilities, allowing San Diego to be more responsive to customer needs, minimize operating costs and improve safety for employees. Installation will begin in early 2013 and is expected to be complete within eight months.

"Itron’s water AMI solution will give San Diego the ability to enhance our water meter reading, customer service and billing capabilities for the 11,000 high impact service locations included in this initial implementation," said Dave Akin, compliance and metering manager for the City of San Diego. "We look forward to working with Itron to make these capabilities possible."

"Itron is committed to helping water utilities more efficiently and responsibly manage precious water resources," said Paula Billingham, Itron vice president of sales, marketing and delivery for North America Water. "With the help of our water AMI solution, the City of San Diego will be able to minimize water loss from unknown leaks and maximize water distribution and operational efficiency."