Local Company’s Leak Detector Aims to Help Water Conservation Efforts

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.

A State College water conservation company, Fluid Conservation Systems, is releasing its leak detector in the United States, making it available to municipalities and water authorities for purchase using federal dollars.

PermaNET SU will now be made in a Pennsylvania manufacturing facility rather than abroad, meeting the made-in-America standards from the Build America Buy America Act of 2021. The leak detector uses technology to listen for water leaks each night, sending an alert to the user with the leak’s exact location.

“More than 7 billion gallons of drinking water are lost each day through leaks in the country’s water system,” a press release from Fluid Conservation Systems noted. “The PermaNET SU helps water utilities conserve drinking water by detecting leaks in their pipes.”

According to the company, the PermaNET SU is the only leak detector currently being made in the U.S.

Meeting the requirements for made-in-America, water utility companies and municipalities can use loans made available by the Build America Buy America Act to improve infrastructure. Specifically, the act provides around $50 billion for water infrastructure improvements.

For a product to qualify, its final assembly must take place in the United States and at least 55% of raw material for the product must be from the U.S. Fluid Conservation System’s leak detector features domestic printed circuit board assembly and steel aspects.

“Water is a valuable resource, and so much is lost each day due to aging infrastructure of our nation’s local water systems,” Beth Powell, president of Fluid Conservation Systems, said in a statement. “The PermaNET SU helps preserve and conserve water. This is a strategic move to help more water utilities in Pennsylvania save this precious resource. We are excited to say the PermaNET SU is now being made in America so more utilities can take advantage of the historic investment in water through the Build America Buy America Act and save millions of dollars by finding and fixing leaks in their systems.”

Fluid Conservation Systems was founded in 1978 to find innovative solutions for municipal water authorities. Headquartered in State College, the company looks to benefit water conservation efforts through technology.