Austin Water Wins Technological Innovation Award for My ATX Water

Austin Water is a winner in the 2026 IDC Smart Cities North America Awards, which recognizes leading practices and innovation in state and local government projects and initiatives.

The city celebrated the recognition in a Monday press release. According to the bulletin, the utility won for its My ATX Water meter replacement and customer portal initiative.

Austin Water installed its first smart meter as part of the program in September 2020 in an effort to modernize its water metering system and address long-standing operation, customer service, and conservation challenges.

And the results speak for themselves. As of this month, the utility has installed nearly 267,000 meters, enabling real-time data for Austin Water customers.

The advanced metering infrastructure provides customers with customized notifications, daily water use updates, water budgeting alerts, and other conservation tools and guides.

Since 2021, the new system has saved customers an estimated 1.2 billion gallons of water through leak notifications from the portal and their repairs.

Austin Water Director Shay Ralls Roalson said, "This recognition reflects Austin Water's commitment to preparing for the future by using technology in ways that make a real difference for our community. Our My ATX Water Portal gives our customers the power and tools they need to play an active role in protecting Austin's water supply, with our dedicated teams supporting them every step of the way."

The IDC's 2026 Smart Cities North America Awards is designed to celebrate the progress North American states make in executing Smart Cities projects. This year's competition had a set of applications across 10 categories. The 10 winners, an overall winner, and another 20 finalists were honored at a conference earlier in March.