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Itron Inspire

Four Water Loss Management Trends We're Watching at Itron Inspire 2026

October 12, 2026

Water utilities today face mounting challenges. Aging infrastructure, water scarcity, rising operational costs and increasing pressure to reduce non-revenue water are forcing utilities to find new ways to do more with existing resources.

As utilities adapt, several water loss management trends continue to gain momentum. Here are four we’re paying attention to ahead of Itron Inspire 2026.

1.) Operational visibility creates the foundation for improvement.
Before utilities can reduce water loss, they need a clear understanding of how their networks are performing. Yet many organizations still rely on disconnected workflows and limited visibility into system conditions, making it difficult to establish performance baselines or measure the impact of corrective actions over time.

More data isn’t the answer. Comprehensive operational visibility is becoming a critical foundation for modern water management. By bringing together data and workflows that support water balances, hydraulic modeling and event investigation, utilities can better understand where losses are occurring and where resources should be prioritized. Solutions like Itron’s Temetra address this by bringing together multiple data sources into a centralized environment, helping teams identify where immediate attention is needed and take action with greater confidence.

2.) Network intelligence is moving beyond the meter.
While meter data remains a critical component of water loss management, it’s only part of the story. Understanding what's happening across the broader distribution network requires additional visibility into pressure, flow and other operating conditions that may signal emerging issues before they impact customers or appear in consumption data.

This growing need for network intelligence is driving adoption of advanced sensing technologies. Through Itron's collaboration with Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS), utilities can combine pressure, flow, level and acoustic monitoring technologies with analytics and operational workflows. These capabilities help utilities identify issues sooner, investigate anomalies more effectively and gain greater confidence in the decisions they make every day.

3.) AI is helping utilities move from detection to prediction.
Finding and fixing leaks remains an essential part of any water loss reduction strategy. Increasingly, however, utilities are looking beyond detection and asking how they can better anticipate where future problems may occur across the network. Advances in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are helping utilities do exactly that.

Through Itron’s collaboration with Voda.ai, for example, utilities can incorporate predictive pipe-risk intelligence into their water loss management workflows, providing additional context for leak investigations, maintenance planning and capital investment decisions. By understanding which assets may present the greatest risk, utilities can focus resources more strategically and take action before minor issues become costly failures.

4.) Better outcomes require a connected ecosystem.
No single technology can solve the non-revenue water challenge. Utilities need a way to connect operational visibility, network intelligence and predictive insights with day-to-day operations. As a result, many organizations are moving away from isolated point solutions and toward more connected approaches that bring together data, analytics and workflows.

That is where an integrated ecosystem becomes especially valuable. Itron’s Temetra Water Loss Management serves as the platform that connects these capabilities, while technologies from partners such as FCS and Voda.ai contribute complementary sensing and predictive intelligence. A connected approach helps utilities move more seamlessly from insight to action, whether they're investigating potential losses, managing risk or planning future investments.

Learn more at Itron Inspire 2026

There are several opportunities to continue the conversation at Itron Inspire 2026 in Houston, Oct. 16-21, including:

Demos

Water Loss Management: Temetra Water Loss Management helps utilities bring together data from across the network to better understand system performance and identify opportunities to reduce water loss. Integrations with Fluid Conservation Systems and Voda.ai add pressure, flow and acoustic monitoring as well as predictive pipe-risk insights, helping utilities take a more proactive approach to managing their systems.
Flexible Water AMI Connectivity: Cellular and shared network approaches help utilities move from AMR to AMI at their own pace while reducing complexity and building a scalable foundation for future use cases.

Sessions

Forums