Partnering Up With Communities in the Lone Star State

In rural Texas, water towers serve as prominent landmarks to travelers and townspeople alike. Towering more than 100 feet tall and emblazoned with the town names, they store thousands of gallons of water for use during peak morning hours. Water pumps located at the municipality keep demand in check during other times of the day. As population grows, local water municipalities are working harder than ever to deliver clean drinking water to their customers with an increased load demand.

Lake Buchanan provides drinking water to Texans in Burnet County.

Inks Lake provides drinking water to Texans in Burnet County. (Photo by Michael Salazar; CC BY-SA 2.0)

Texas Bound

According the Census Bureau, Texas leads the nation in overall population increase. By the year 2020, it is projected that almost 29 million people will live in Texas, an increase of nearly 4 million people since 2010. With this influx of people, local economies will flourish, and towns will grow; as more people make Texas their home, the demand for water will grow exponentially. A report published by the Texas State Development Board (found here) estimates that Texas will use an additional 325 billion gallons of water each year by 2020.

Maximizing Efficiency

As cities and towns in Texas expand, municipalities are working hard to maintain cost effectiveness and consistency as their systems incur unprecendented demand levels.  By maximizing the efficiency of their water pumping stations, municipalities are cutting electricity costs, reducing heat, and extending motor life. A study conducted by Cooper Bussmann found that voltage fluctuations and other power issues were the cause of almost half of all motor failure in the field. These power-quality issues often result in lower efficiency and excessive heat generation, not to mention complete failure of the unit.

Golf Courses throughout the southwest rely on UST's power conditioners and balancers to keep their guests happy.

Golf Courses in Texas and throughout the southwest rely on UST’s power conditioners and balancers to keep their guests happy.(Photo By 50 Prime; CC BY 2.0)

With UST’s advanced voltage regulation technology, municipal systems have pumped through many power issues and have been able to provide Texans with reliable, clean, and healthy drinking water.

When a rural Texas water municipality came to Utility Systems Technologies (UST) looking to increase the efficiency of their three-phase 75 hp submersible water pump, we engineered a solution designed specifically to fit their needs; our Current Balancing Unit.

In addition to supporting the demands of water municipalities, our Current Balancers and Electronic Voltage Regulators support the needs of Texas’s world class golf courses. At these courses, an increase in efficiency allows maintenance personnel to keep the greens in top shape throughout the arid Texas summer, resulting in happier guests.