Las Vegas, Nev.— To meet the needs of a population of 1 million that is growing by 4,000 residents per month, the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) supplies an average of 291 million gallons of water per day and is constantly drilling new wells and seeking new storage capacity.

LVVWD also uses a variety of Endress+Hauser instrumentation and equipment to perform its water management jobs. For instance, to handle OSHA requirements switching it from using chlorine to sodium hypochlorite, LVVWD installed two Endress+Hauser Cerabar pressure sensors in 1994. Instruments used to measure the sodium hypochlorite previously had failed in three to six months, but Cerabar's corrosion resistant sensor has allowed it to function effectively for nearly four years.

To maintain constant water pressure, LVVWD also began monitoring pipes with Endress+Hauser's Cerabar S pressure transmitters. They were also installed on the suction side of some water pumps—where their ceramic sensors measured pressure, even while subjected to numerous overpressure and vacuum conditions. Cerabar S transmitters are now used on 175 pressure installations, including monitoring discharge well pressure.

To monitor water levels, LVVWD uses hydrostatic level measurement, including Endress+Hauser's Waterpilot cable probe, which was also more reliable than the previous instrumentation.

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