City of Baunach
The city of Baunach is modernizing its water supply system with equipment from SebaKMT®
In Baunach, a small town in the Bamberg district of Upper Franconia, the water supply is being digitized step by step. About 4,200 people live here and are supplied by a 50-kilometer-long drinking water network. The system also includes a wastewater network spanning approximately 40 kilometers. Like many other municipalities, Baunach faced the challenge of how to detect water losses early on and thereby future-proof its water network.
Mayor Tobias Roppelt did not want to wait any longer in 2023 for costly damage to occur. Several years ago, the decision was made to invest in modern monitoring technology. “We wanted to act in a timely manner rather than wait until it was too late,” says Roppelt. The goal was to secure the town’s water supply for the long term and make the network more stable overall.
Products in Use
Collaboration with SebaKMT®
To implement the project, the city enlisted the support of SebaKMT® and Megger Germany GmbH. Together with the team at the Baunach water utility, they developed a concept that combines various measurement and monitoring technologies and is perfectly tailored to the municipality’s needs.
Several systems are currently in use in Baunach, including:
• SmartEAR® and SmartEAR®+ for acoustic monitoring of the pipeline network
• POSEYEDON® as a platform for data collection and analysis
• SebaFlow, HL 7000, HL 50-BT, and Correlux C-3 for precise leak detection and flow measurement
The result is a system that significantly improves monitoring of the drinking water network. All key measurement data is available in real time, making it possible to detect anomalies immediately.
Initial Practical Experience
After nearly three years of collaboration, the city has drawn a positive conclusion: Thanks to the integration of the new devices, leaks can now be located more quickly. “We can see right away if something is wrong somewhere,” explains Jörg Reich, a water supply systems specialist. Employees also no longer have to go out at night to take manual measurements. “The technology does that for us. It saves time and stress,” adds Ulrich Schmittlutz, the city’s water systems manager.
The reliability of the water supply has also improved. If something is detected, we can respond more quickly and resolve problems before the public even notices.
Hardly noticeable to citizens, but of great benefit
Most people in Baunach hardly notice this technical upgrade—and that’s exactly the point. A reliable, stable water supply ensures that outages don’t happen in the first place.
“Water is a sensitive issue, even here,” says Roppelt. “We want to strengthen our own water supply in the future and ensure greater security by connecting to the Upper Franconia regional water supply system.”
Baunach demonstrates that digitalization in municipal water management is no longer a topic for the future, but can already be part of everyday life.
A Look into the Future
The city intends to continue on this path. Further investments in infrastructure are planned, such as new elevated water tanks and the expansion of the long-distance water supply connection. Digitalization processes are also set to be further expanded within the city administration and the public works department.
“The relief it brings to our day-to-day work is already clearly noticeable,” said Roppelt. “This investment will pay off in the long run—not just for us, but above all for the citizens.”