Water utility software for the distribution network, customer connections and field crews

Hydrant and valve programmes, meter changes, burst repairs, pump station and reservoir checks, and the contractors who do the work, run from one record of every asset in the ground.

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Updated 15 Oct 2026

FieldEx scheduling board on desktop with a technician's inspection checklist open on the mobile app, as used by water utility crews

FieldEx is field service management and maintenance management (CMMS) in one system, used as water utility software beyond the treatment plant. It keeps every hydrant, valve, meter, pump station and reservoir on its own located record, runs inspection programmes, times burst repairs against service standards and gives crews and contractors their jobs on the phone.

What FieldEx does for water utility distribution and field teams

Most of a water utility's money is spent outside the treatment works: in mains, valves, hydrants, meters, pumping stations and service reservoirs spread across a whole supply area. FieldEx runs the planned and reactive work on those assets, and the customer jobs that come with them. Book a demo with a sample of your asset register.

Network assets on their own records

Hydrants, valves, meters, pressure reducing valves, pump stations, reservoirs and service tanks each on their own record.
Each record carries asset number, size, material, install date, photos and its latitude and longitude, in asset management.
Parent and component levels, so a pump station's pumps, motors, panels and generator keep their own histories.
Extra identifier fields renamed to your own terms, such as hydrant number, valve key or district metered area.
QR or barcode labels on above-ground assets, opening the record and its checklist when scanned.

Planned programmes across the network

Hydrant inspection, valve exercising and tank inspection plans that raise jobs automatically on their cycle.
Plans triggered on the calendar, on a pump's running hours, or on whichever comes first.
Fixed dates for regulated cycles, or schedules counting from the last completed visit. Fixed calendar dates apply to time-based plans.
Plans applied to a whole supply zone, picking up new assets that match, in preventive maintenance.
Overdue visits rescheduled automatically after the period you set.

Customer connections, meters and complaints

Meter installations, changes and tests raised in bulk from an uploaded list of addresses or meters.
Customer reports of leaks, low pressure or discoloured water arriving as jobs from a QR form or the portal.
Meter readings and test results entered by the technician on job forms, recorded against the job.
Emails and alerts to the people you choose at each point in a job.

Bursts, leaks and supply interruptions

Service-level agreement (SLA) clocks with several stages, at-risk and breach alerts, in scheduling and dispatch.
Crews picked automatically by skill, who is free, shift, leave, zone and live location.
Drag jobs between crews on the scheduler when a large burst pulls people off planned work.
Repair checklist answers that raise the follow-up jobs for flushing, sampling and reinstatement.

Crews, contractors and competence

Contractors get their own accounts, with roles and a hierarchy that limit what they see and do.
Licences for external contractors, with access limited to the jobs that involve them.
Technician skills named after certificates, such as confined-space entry, carrying an expiry date.
Skills used to match the right crew to each job, so only qualified people get confined-space work.

Crews on the FieldEx mobile app

The day's jobs, each asset's history and a map of the job's location on the phone.
Jobs and tasks downloaded and worked offline, with check-in, check-out and travel synced later.
Watermarked photos and video with annotation, and the customer's or supervisor's signature.
Parts and fittings used from the crew's own van stock, on the FieldEx mobile app.

Depots, stores and fittings

Stock held in each depot store and each van, with transfers and approvals between them.
Fittings, clamps, couplings, meters and valves with movement history and low-stock alerts, in spare parts inventory.
Depot buildings, plant and vehicles kept as assets with their own maintenance plans.

Reports for operations and regulators

Completion PDFs with the job, the asset, the work done, parts used, times on site, photos and signature.
MTBF, MTTR and downtime per pump or asset, and repeat jobs flagged on the same asset.
Jobs, assets and inspections reported and exported by zone, type or contractor, in reporting and analytics.

How often should fire hydrants be inspected and flushed?

West Virginia's rule for public water systems, 150CSR7 section 12, is typical of US state requirements. Hydrants are inspected annually and after any use or damage, flushed during the inspection, and flow tested every five years.

The Flint, Michigan hydrant standard operating procedure, written to AWWA Manual M17, asks for inspection at least once a year. It notes that manufacturers recommend twice a year, and sets flow tests around every 10 years. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) manual is the reference most utilities use.

A hydrant out of service is a fire risk. Record its status the moment it fails inspection.

Pipe	SPAN repair target
Communication pipe	24 hours
Below 200 mm	24 hours
200 to 600 mm	36 hours
Above 600 mm	48 hours

Source: PBAPP, quoting SPAN's KPIs.

What FieldEx does about it

Hydrants as located assets: each hydrant's record holds its number, make, size, install date and map position, so crews find it and planners see coverage.
Annual and five-yearly cycles together: the annual inspection and flush runs on one plan; the flow test runs as its own recurring inspection with its own due date and reminders.
Failures that change status: a failed inspection answer raises the repair job and can change the hydrant's status, so it shows out of service until fixed.
Proof of every visit: the job records the flushing details, photos and the crew's check-in and check-out times.

How do you run a valve exercising programme?

Ohio EPA's valve exercising guidance, based on AWWA's G200 distribution standard, recommends exercising 100% of valves within five years and critical valves every year. It also asks utilities to track inoperable valves until they are repaired or replaced.

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) preventive maintenance guidebook for small water systems asks operators to record the number of turns and the direction to close for each valve, on a valve log sheet. Without those numbers, the next crew can't tell a stuck valve from a partly open one.

Every leak fixed and every meter changed is an NRW result. Record it so the operator can count it.

Split the valve list into critical and non-critical, and give each group its own plan.
FieldEx raises the jobs on cycle, by zone, so a crew works one area at a time.
The crew records turns to close, direction and condition on the job form.
A valve that won't operate becomes a repair job and stays flagged until it's done.

What FieldEx does about it

Two cycles from one register: critical valves sit on an annual plan and the rest on a five-year plan, each picking up new valves that match it.
Turns and direction as numbers: custom job forms, set up with you during onboarding, can include number fields for turns to close, recorded against the job.
Inoperable valves stay visible: the valve's status changes when it fails, and its repair job and history sit on its record.
Zones that keep crews close: service zones and live location keep each crew working valves near each other, cutting drive time.

When do water meters need testing or replacing?

New Hampshire's Public Utilities Commission rules, Puc 600, set periodic testing by meter size. Kentucky's 807 KAR 5:066 follows a similar pattern. New Hampshire also requires records of at least the two most recent periodic tests for each meter.

An IPA Type A permit covers construction, connection, modification and repair of pipes and fittings from the public mains. Type C covers construction or modification of the water supply system, and Type D covers maintenance services that don't involve operating it. Permit holders must also keep their registration as a registered contractor where required.

Meter size	Test interval
5/8 and 3/4 inch	Every 10 years
1 to 2 inch	Every 4 years
3 inch	Every 2 years
4 inch and larger	Every year

Source: New Hampshire Puc 600 periodic meter testing rules.

What FieldEx does about it

Meters as assets with history: each meter keeps its serial number, size, install date and location, with every test and change on its record.
Replacement programmes in one upload: meter changes can be raised in bulk from an uploaded list of meters or addresses, so a whole programme starts at once.
Readings and test results on site: technicians enter the final reading of the old meter, the start reading of the new one and any test result on the job form.
Tests on the right cycle: each size band can run its own test plan, with due dates and reminders.

What is non-revenue water, and what field work reduces it?

The World Bank defines non-revenue water (NRW) as the difference between system input volume and billed authorised consumption. It has three parts: physical losses from leaks and bursts, commercial losses from metering errors and theft, and unbilled authorised use such as firefighting.

The World Bank estimates that more than 32 billion cubic metres of treated water leak from networks worldwide each year. A further 16 billion cubic metres are delivered to customers but never paid for, because of theft, poor metering or corruption.

Every leak repair and meter change is an NRW action. Record it so you can show where the losses went.

What FieldEx does about it

Leak and burst jobs by zone: every repair carries its location, asset and zone, so reports show where leaks cluster and which mains need renewal.
Repeat jobs flagged: when the same main or valve gets the same job type again within your set number of days, FieldEx flags the repeat.
Meter faults found and fixed: stopped or suspect meters reported by readers or customers become meter-change jobs on the meter's own record.
Crews where the losses are: leak detection and repair work can be planned zone by zone, with jobs routed to crews already working there.

What has to happen after a water main repair?

AWWA standard C651 sets the steps, as summarised in Washington State Department of Health's main break protocol. Repair parts and the exposed pipe are swabbed or sprayed with a 1% chlorine solution. The main is then flushed until at least three pipe volumes are displaced and the water runs clear.

Where pressure was lost or a pipe section was replaced, coliform and heterotrophic plate count samples are taken to confirm the repair. The utility may restore service before results arrive, but every coliform sample should be non-detect.

The repair job opens its checklist: isolation, dewatering, disinfection, repair.
The crew records the flush and the chlorine residual on the job form.
The completed checklist raises the sampling job for the follow-up visit.
The results attach to the main's record when they come back.

What FieldEx does about it

A checklist per repair type: a repair under pressure and a full pipe section replacement can open different checklists, so the extra sampling steps aren't missed.
Residuals recorded as numbers: custom job forms can include number fields for chlorine residual and flushing duration, recorded against the job.
Follow-up jobs raised by the checklist: completing the repair checklist can raise the sampling job and any reinstatement job, so nothing depends on memory.
Photos at each stage: watermarked photos show the disinfected fittings and the reinstated trench, with time and place.

How often should storage tanks and reservoirs be inspected?

The US EPA's paper on finished water storage cites AWWA Manual M42, which recommends draining and inspecting tanks at least once every three years. Research it summarises recommends comprehensive inspections every three to five years.

Massachusetts' guidelines for public water systems are more specific. Every atmospheric storage tank gets an annual visual inspection, including the roof, with a written, dated log. A thorough structural and coating inspection follows every three to five years, and inspection records are kept for at least five years.

What FieldEx does about it

Tanks with their own components: hatches, vents, ladders, level sensors and cathodic protection sit as components under each tank, each with its own history.
Annual and multi-year inspections: the annual visual inspection and the three-to-five-yearly structural inspection run as separate recurring inspections, each with due dates and reminders.
Inspection reports attached: the diver's or contractor's report, with photos and video, attaches to the inspection record on the tank.
Records kept, not lost: every inspection stays on the tank's record, with dates, results and who carried it out, for as long as you need them.

How often should water pump stations be checked?

The US EPA's preventive maintenance guidebook for small water systems asks operators to inspect booster pump stations, checking pumps for vibration, heat and seal leaks. It asks them to record meter and pressure gauge readings on both sides of the pumps, and to check that pump running times are equalised.

The same guidebook sets a weekly security check of pump houses, alarms, sump pumps and backup power. It asks for valves to be inspected at least twice a year and control panels at least once a year.

Keep the dated log. An inspection nobody can find didn't happen.

What FieldEx does about it

Weekly visits on the site plan: each pump station runs a weekly visit plan, so routine checks are raised automatically for whoever covers that station.
Pumps on running hours: each pump's running hours are recorded as meter readings, so major services can trigger on hours, date or whichever comes first.
Pressures recorded on site: custom job forms can include number fields for suction and discharge pressure, recorded against the job.
Faults raised from the visit: a failed alarm or sump pump check raises the corrective job before the technician leaves.

What service standards apply to supply interruptions and appointments?

In England and Wales, the Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008 set the Guaranteed Standards Scheme. A planned interruption of more than four hours needs at least 48 hours' notice. In an emergency, supply must be restored within 12 hours, or within 48 hours for a burst on a strategic main.

The Consumer Council for Water explains that English companies must also keep appointments in a morning or afternoon slot, or a two-hour slot on request, and pay customers when they don't.

Standard (England)	Requirement
Planned interruption over 4 hours	48 hours' notice
Emergency, ordinary main	Restore within 12 hours
Emergency, strategic main	Restore within 48 hours
Appointments	Morning, afternoon or 2-hour slot

Source: SI 2008/594 and Consumer Council for Water.

What FieldEx does about it

Clocks that match the standard: SLAs can run with several stages, such as attend, isolate and restore, each with its own target and alerts before a breach.
Appointments the customer sees: customers can follow job status and reschedule visits in the portal, and booked times sit on the scheduler.
Notices at each stage: emails and alerts go to the people you choose at each point in the job, from booking to completion.
Evidence for every claim: check-in and check-out times, photos and the completion report show when supply was actually restored.

What are the reinstatement rules after street works?

In England, the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH), fourth edition, sets the rules for every utility excavation. The guarantee period starts when the permanent reinstatement is completed. It runs for two years, or three years where the cover over the pipe is more than 1.5 metres.

The specification expects an interim reinstatement to be made permanent within six months. The Department for Transport explains that highway authorities inspect a sample of reinstatements during the works, within six months of completion and again before the guarantee ends.

The guarantee clock starts at the permanent reinstatement. Record that date on every job.

What FieldEx does about it

Reinstatement as its own job: the repair checklist can raise the permanent reinstatement as its own job, scheduled inside the six-month window.
Guarantee dates tracked: a recurring inspection on the site can carry the guarantee end date, with reminders before the authority's final check.
Photos that settle disputes: watermarked photos of the trench, the layers and the finished surface sit on the job.
Contractor work to the same standard: reinstatement contractors complete the same checklist and photos in their own accounts, limited to their jobs.

Customer story

TapEffect, a social enterprise that designs, builds and operates piped water systems for rural communities in Cambodia, used to manage stock separately at each remote site. With FieldEx, its head office oversees inventory, jobs and instructions across every system. TapEffect reports that its inventory management has become 25% more efficient since moving to FieldEx.

Read the TapEffect story

Questions water utility teams ask about FieldEx

What software do water utilities use for distribution maintenance and field crews?

Utilities pair their asset register with a system that runs the field work. FieldEx is field service and maintenance management in one: a located record per hydrant, valve, meter, pump station and tank, planned programmes, burst jobs timed against service standards, contractor accounts and crews' jobs on the phone. Compare approaches in our guide to CMMS software.

Can FieldEx create jobs for a whole meter replacement programme at once?

Yes. Upload the list of meters or addresses and FieldEx creates a job for each, ready to schedule by zone. Each job records the old and new meter details and readings, and the meter's record keeps the history.

Can customers report a leak or burst from a QR code or a portal?

Yes. A QR code at a site opens a short form that needs no login, and the report arrives as a job for that site. Customers with portal access can raise requests with photos, follow progress and reschedule appointments.

Can FieldEx time burst repairs against our service standards?

Yes. SLAs can be timed against your business hours, with several stages such as attend and restore, each with alerts before a breach, per customer, site or asset.

Can each hydrant and valve keep its own history and location?

Yes. Each one is an asset with its own record, latitude and longitude, inspection history and repairs. Crews see the location on a map on their phones.

Can contractors use FieldEx with access only to their own jobs?

Yes. Contractors get their own accounts, with roles and a hierarchy that control what they see and do, and licences limited to the jobs that involve them.

Can FieldEx track crews' confined-space and other certificates?

Yes. Name a technician skill after any certificate or qualification and give it an expiry date; jobs then go only to people who hold it. Your company's own licences have renewal reminders too.

Can FieldEx manage fittings and meters across depots and vans?

Yes. Each depot store and van holds its own stock, with transfers and approvals between them, movement history and low-stock alerts. Parts used are recorded on the job and the asset.

Can crews work where there is no mobile coverage?

Yes. Jobs and tasks can be downloaded and worked offline, with check-in, check-out and travel synced when the phone reconnects.

How quickly can a utility start using FieldEx?

Setup, data upload and training are included in the subscription, with no setup fee. Asset and customer lists can be uploaded. FieldEx helps with setup, and training is included.

Once we know your requirements and your data is ready, FieldEx can be implemented in as little as a week with standard features for small businesses. Larger setups and custom work take longer. See FieldEx implementation.

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