Waterly CEO Chris Sosnowski on why NightOwl Monitoring is a game-changer for small water systems
When Chris Sosnowski first heard the words “plug and play” at a trade show, he was skeptical. As the founder and CEO of Waterly—an affordable data and asset management platform for water and wastewater utilities—he had seen plenty of monitoring solutions that promised simplicity but delivered complexity.
“I challenged them on that,” Chris admits. “Because in my experience, things that claim to be plug-and-play really are not.”
With over 30 years in water system management and thousands of SCADA installations under his belt, Chris had earned the right to be skeptical. But what happened next surprised even him..
Meet Jim Blair, CEO of NightOwl Monitoring
Leading the conversation is Jim Blair, founder and CEO of NightOwl Monitoring. With a deep understanding of the challenges facing well drilling and service companies, Jim has built NightOwl’s platform to provide real-time visibility into well performance — helping partners like Alsop and Muller shift from emergency response to preventive care.
“Peanut Butter and Chocolate”
The story begins at a National Rural Water Association conference. Sean Trapp and Gerard from NightOwl Monitoring happened to walk by Chris’s booth, and a conversation started about what each company offered.
“We realized we were sort of peanut butter and chocolate,” Chris recalls. NightOwl focuses on well monitoring and system health. Waterly handles compliance data, water quality tracking, and asset management. Together, they create a complete picture for small water system operators.
When Sean learned that Chris had a private well at home, he suggested Chris try a NightOwl system for himself. That’s when the real test began.
The Installation Test
Chris didn’t hold back his doubts. “I said, ‘This is really not plug and play.'” But he decided to put it to the test anyway.
The system arrived in a few boxes. Chris gathered his tools—a basic electrical set and a multimeter—and got to work. He cut some holes, routed conduit, and wired everything up. When questions came up, the NightOwl team responded quickly.
Total installation time? About an hour to an hour and a half.
“Powered it on, and data started to flow,” Chris says. “I’ve helped light up literally thousands of sites on SCADA systems. I have never seen one as easy as what you guys had.”
Coming from someone who has deployed monitoring systems across the country for three decades, that’s not a casual endorsement.
Real-World Benefits for a Private Well Owner
As a private well owner serving his family of five (three kids, one currently at home), Chris cares deeply about both water quantity and pump health. Before NightOwl, he had never found a cost-effective monitoring solution within a homeowner’s price range.
Now, the system alerts him about overcurrent or undercurrent problems, allows him to set limits on the well, and lets him know if it’s healthy—all without checking it daily. Combined with Waterly’s water quality tracking, he has a complete picture of his well’s health at a price point he never thought possible.
But the real game-changer came with an unexpected problem: iron bacteria.
The Orange Hair Incident
Chris has two daughters who spend significant time in the shower. When iron bacteria started building up in his pressure tank, it created a problem no dad wants to deal with: orange-tinted hair.
“That is not a good morning for dad,” Chris laughs. “We had some cranky ladies in the house.”
His solution? He added a tank level sensor to the NightOwl system. Now, when the water level rises to a certain point, he gets a notification that it’s time to treat the system with hydrogen peroxide—a simple maintenance task that keeps the iron bacteria at bay.
“If I can keep the ladies off my back and happy,” Chris says, “I’m a happier dad.”
Chris’s Advice
For homeowners, operators, and system integrators considering remote monitoring, Chris offers straightforward guidance:
“Know that there’s an affordable system that can work in a small system or a large group of assets, and ask questions. I’d put my name on this thing. I’d recommend it to my parents as much as I would recommend it to a very large group of RV park owners or anybody that has to keep track of wells.”
His final word? “Make the investment and sleep better at night.”
Ready to Transform Your Water Management Operations?
NightOwl Monitoring is proud to partner with Waterly to bring affordable, comprehensive well monitoring to rural communities across America. Together, we’re helping small water systems move from reactive firefighting to proactive monitoring.
Learn more about Waterly at waterly.com.
Ready to see what NightOwl can do for your system? Contact us to learn about our 60-day zero risk loaner program. Visit nightowlmonitoring.com to learn more.
