Itron Inc., a Liberty Lake-based utility-tech company, has agreed to modernize the water distribution system for utility company Publiacqua, the water provider for 1.3 million residents across Tuscany, Italy.

Publiacqua will upgrade its mechanical meters with Itron’s Intelis wSource smart water meters.

“Our meters enable the utility to reduce water loss, improve customer engagement, and achieve sustainability goals,” says Justin Patrick, senior vice president of device solutions at Itron, in a press release.

Features and benefits of the water meters include real-time data collection, allowing utilities to quickly identify and address unusual water patterns; improved billing accuracy; monitoring of distribution flow as well as detection and quantification of backflow to help assess water quality and sanitary risk; and customer alerts when anomalies, like a leak or broken pipe, are detected.

Itron's stock closed today at $97.75 a share, compared with a 52-week high of $124.90 and 52-week low of $71.72. 

The company is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings results on Feb. 25.