Water treatment plants run on reliability. Pumps, membranes, blowers, valves, lab instruments, and remote lift stations all need proactive care—while every inspection, corrective fix, and spare part must be documented for regulators. That’s where water treatment service software—most commonly a CMMS (computerized maintenance management system)—earns its keep. The right platform keeps assets healthy, passes audits, and helps teams do more with less.
This guide compares the best CMMS and water utilities software for municipal and industrial water/wastewater operations.
What to look for in water/wastewater CMMS
Choosing a CMMS for water and wastewater operations requires more than just tracking work orders. Utilities face strict regulatory oversight, complex asset networks, and crews who often work in remote or difficult environments.
A good system should help ensure compliance, reduce unplanned downtime, and make fieldwork more efficient, all while integrating with the tools utilities already depend on, such as GIS, SCADA, and IoT sensors. Below are the core capabilities to prioritize when evaluating platforms.
- Regulatory Readiness: You’ll want audit trails, electronic signatures/approvals where required, calibration records, SOP versioning, configurable reports for state/EPA inspections, and easy export. This is one of the core promises of modern CMMS platforms.
- Preventive & Condition-Based Maintenance: Look for calendar- and meter-based PMs, asset hierarchies covering treatment plants, lift stations, wells, tanks, and distribution/collection networks, as well as condition monitoring hooks to extend asset life and reduce downtime.
- Mobile Work—Online/Offline: Crews need mobile apps that function both in the field and in basements where connectivity is limited. Features like photo capture, barcode/QR code scanning, GPS stamps, and simple completion flows ensure technicians can finish jobs without delays.
- Inventory & Purchasing: Effective inventory control includes spare parts min/max levels, storerooms organized by site, vendor lists, and purchase request workflows. Having critical spares available—pumps, membranes, gearboxes—prevents extended outages.
- GIS Awareness: Many water utilities use Esri ArcGIS as a core mapping platform. Some CMMS solutions are GIS-centric or offer strong integrations, allowing assets, mains, manholes, hydrants, and work histories to be visualized on a map. Examples include Cityworks, OpenGov/Cartegraph, Brightly Asset Essentials, and Trimble Asset Lifecycle Management.
- SCADA/IoT Friendly: If your goal is to trigger work directly from alarms—such as pump run hours or tank level thresholds—make sure integration options are available. SCADA and IoT hooks allow for faster response and predictive strategies.
- Reporting & Analytics: Standard KPIs like MTBF (mean time between failures) and MTTR (mean time to repair), backlog trends, compliance completion rates, and lifecycle cost reporting provide the visibility needed to manage both daily operations and long-term planning.
- Security & Hosting: Municipal IT requirements demand secure hosting and user management. Look for cloud hosting options with SSO, role-based permissions, and clear data export policies to meet retention and compliance standards.
Best CMMS Software for Water Treatment Plants (Ranked)
1. eWorkOrders
eWorkOrders focuses deeply on water and wastewater treatment operations with strong compliance workflows, asset/PM management, mobile features, and reporting. Utilities use it to keep audits clean, track labor/materials, and centralize work across plants and field assets. The company also offers flat, unlimited-user pricing tiers, such as a budget-friendly option for crews spread across plants, lift stations, and distribution systems.
Standout capabilities
- Industry fit: Dedicated pages and resources for water & wastewater treatment, including how CMMS supports inspections, lab/plant operations, and collection/distribution tasks.
- Mobile + QR codes: Field staff can scan asset QR codes to submit requests or pull history, attach photos, and close work orders on site.
- Reporting for audits: Configurable reports and dashboards to simplify year-end and inspection documentation.
- Flexible pricing: Flat, unlimited-user Starter and Advanced tiers (plus enterprise per-user) help municipal teams avoid buying more seats as they grow.
- Proven in the sector: Case studies and industry articles show how CMMS streamlines wastewater operations and recordkeeping.
Ready to Modernize Water & Wastewater Maintenance?
eWorkOrders is trusted by utilities across the country to simplify compliance, strengthen preventive maintenance, and improve field operations. If your organization is ready to move past spreadsheets and surprises, schedule a demo of eWorkOrders today and see how it can fit your water treatment needs.
2. LLumin CMMS+
LLumin focuses on asset performance and risk, which maps well to the goals of utilities that want steady uptime and low lifecycle cost. It brings clear workflows, mobile access, and dashboards tuned to maintenance leaders. If you’re after a modern CMMS with strong operations signals and a focus on reducing unplanned downtime, LLumin is a good fit.
Where it fits
Utilities and plants that want a maintenance-first system with an emphasis on asset reliability. It can serve as the hub for preventive work, inspections, and materials while other enterprise systems manage finance and HR.
3. Trimble Cityworks
Cityworks has deep roots in public infrastructure. It’s known as a GIS-centric asset and work management platform, which gives water and wastewater utilities a map-first way to manage mains, manholes, meters, hydrants, and valve crews alongside treatment plant assets. If your data backbone is Esri ArcGIS, Cityworks often lands on the shortlist.
Where it fits
Cities and authorities that treat the map as the source of truth and want work history tied tightly to linear assets.
4. OpenGov (formerly Cartegraph)
OpenGov’s Enterprise Asset Management supports water, wastewater, and stormwater along with streets, parks, and facilities. It spans day-to-day work, capital planning, and performance tracking. Utilities that want a cross-department view often end up here because it keeps data consistent as you switch from treatment to linear networks to facilities.
Where it fits
Public agencies running multiple divisions that want a common asset and work platform with reporting across departments.
5. Brightly Asset Essentials
Brightly Asset Essentials is a modern CMMS used across the public sector and education. For utilities, the draw is a fresh interface, mobile capability, and the option to view assets and work on a map. Teams adopting CMMS for the first time often report quick improvements in PM completion and request handling.
Where it fits
Smaller to mid-size utilities that want an approachable CMMS with GIS-aware features without committing to a heavy, map-centric stack.
6. IBM Maximo Application Suite
Maximo is a heavyweight EAM built for complex, multi-site operations. It offers advanced analytics, APM add-ons, and broad integration options. Many large utilities choose Maximo when they have enterprise IT standards, a sizable asset base, and the need to centralize reliability programs.
Where it fits
Large metropolitan utilities, regional water authorities, and organizations that already standardize on IBM or enterprise APM tools.
7. UpKeep
UpKeep is known for fast adoption and a strong mobile experience. It works well when you need a clean interface and a short runway to digitize requests and PMs. Many small districts and industrial water teams start with UpKeep to move away from paper and spreadsheets.
Where it fits
Smaller utilities, contract O&M teams, and industrial water operations that want quick wins with mobile work orders and basic PMs.
8. Fiix (by Rockwell Automation)
Fiix brings a clear UI, solid reporting, and integrations that appeal to industrial users. With a free tier, some small teams can start at no cost and scale up as they add assets and sites. Being part of Rockwell’s ecosystem can help when you want to tie maintenance to production or process controls.
Where it fits
Industrial water treatment, small municipal plants that want a path from free to paid, and organizations with Rockwell on their controls.
Pricing and “free” options explained
Pricing for CMMS can be tricky because what looks affordable upfront can change as your team grows or as you add integrations. Municipalities and utilities often face different user types—from full-time field technicians to supervisors who only run reports—and each vendor structures costs differently.
Understanding how per-user and site-wide models compare, what hidden costs might appear, and where free plans actually fit can help you budget realistically. Just as important, it’s best to weigh the software’s cost against the savings it creates through fewer emergencies, smoother audits, and better asset performance.
Category | What It Means | Pros | Cons / Watchouts | Example / Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Per-User Pricing | Cost is based on the number of named or active users (requesters, techs, supervisors). | Lower entry cost for small teams; scalable in increments; easy to understand. | Costs rise quickly as you add seasonal staff, part-time users, or managers who log in occasionally. | Works well for utilities with <10 techs; less predictable for larger or seasonal crews. |
Site-Wide / Tiered Pricing | Flat fee per site, plant, or department, sometimes with unlimited users. | Predictable costs; supports unlimited seasonal or part-time users without extra charges. | Higher upfront cost than per-user; may include unused capacity for smaller teams. | eWorkOrders offers unlimited-user tiers—budget-friendly for multi-site utilities. |
Hidden Costs | Extra fees for services or add-ons: data migration, custom fields, GIS connectors, API access. | Flexibility to tailor the system to your exact needs. | Can significantly increase total cost if not included in the initial quote. | Always request a bundled year-one quote covering all modules, integrations, and setup. |
Free Plans | Entry-level plans from vendors like MaintainX, UpKeep, and Fiix. | Great for pilots, testing workflows, and small teams. | Limited users, features, and reporting; not sustainable for multi-plant operations. | A single-plant water system could use a free plan to build a case for future funding. |
Budgeting Approach | Price software against the value of reduced risk, not just per-user cost. | Helps justify investment to councils/boards; shows savings in reduced downtime and overtime. | Requires good internal data on failures, repairs, and labor costs to make the case. | Example: If a pump failure costs $20k in emergency work, avoiding one pays for CMMS. |
Integrations That Matter
Modern CMMS platforms don’t work in isolation—they need to connect with the systems utilities and municipalities already rely on. The right integrations reduce duplicate data entry, strengthen compliance, and make crews more efficient. Below are the key integrations that matter most in public works, water, and wastewater environments.
GIS (Esri ArcGIS)
For many utilities, asset management begins with a map. If your work orders and asset locations are tied to spatial data, a GIS-centric CMMS is worth serious consideration. At a minimum, your CMMS should be able to read GIS IDs, locations, and attributes. This ensures crews can quickly locate mains, hydrants, valves, manholes, or lift stations without cross-referencing paper maps.
Even a simplified map view with asset pins can dramatically cut search time in the field and improve response to emergencies. Platforms like Cityworks, Cartegraph (OpenGov), and Brightly are often used in GIS-heavy organizations.
SCADA and Historians
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and data historians are vital for monitoring real-time performance. The most valuable integration is the ability to use SCADA alarms or run-hour totals to automatically generate preventive maintenance (PM) work orders.
For example, a pump that trips due to vibration or high temperature should immediately create a CMMS work order with the relevant SCADA data or screenshots attached. This shortens the time between detection and response and ensures the event is logged with full context. Linking historical trends to maintenance records also strengthens root-cause analysis.
LIMS and Lab Instruments
Water and wastewater plants often handle significant lab workloads. Integrating a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) with your CMMS ensures calibration, maintenance, and SOPs for lab instruments are stored alongside asset records.
This not only streamlines audits but also clarifies record ownership—whether data is maintained in the LIMS or the CMMS. If you pull lab data to demonstrate compliance (e.g., water quality or effluent standards), integration prevents gaps and reduces manual recordkeeping. Instrument SOPs attached directly to assets also help operators follow correct procedures during maintenance or recalibration.
ERP and Finance
Public agencies need tight alignment between maintenance operations and finance teams. Integrating your CMMS with ERP systems ensures vendors, purchase orders, and cost centers are consistent across both platforms. This is especially important if your finance team requires specific general ledger (GL) codes, approval thresholds, or budget reporting formats.
Configuring these early prevents frustration later and helps link maintenance activity directly to budget accountability. This integration also makes cost-per-asset reporting more accurate and credible in budget discussions.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Managing user access can become a headache in public agencies where staff turnover or seasonal hiring is common. Single Sign-On (SSO) integration simplifies access by allowing staff to log in with their existing municipal or agency credentials.
This reduces the IT burden of creating and managing separate CMMS accounts while improving security. Role-based permissions layered on top of SSO ensure staff only see and edit the data relevant to their job functions. For organizations with strict cybersecurity requirements, SSO support is often a must-have.
Conclusion
The right water treatment service software should make everyday work simpler, hold up under audits, and give you a clear view of assets, labor, and parts across plants and remote sites. eWorkOrders checks those boxes.
Teams use it to standardize PMs, close work orders from the field (even offline), keep calibration and SOPs next to the asset, and pull clean reports when regulators ask. If you’re running lean crews across plants, tanks, and lift stations, the platform’s straightforward workflows and role-based access help everyone stay on the same page without extra steps.
Ready to see how it would look in your operation? Try eWorkOrders for your water/wastewater program today!
FAQs
What is water treatment service software?
Water treatment service software is a maintenance and asset system for water and wastewater operations. It turns requests into work orders, schedules preventive tasks, and tracks labor and parts. The software stores SOPs, calibration logs, permits, and inspection records so you’re ready for audits. Strong options include mobile apps for field work and tools to report on PM completion, downtime, and costs.
How is a CMMS different from process design tools like DuPont WAVE?
A CMMS manages maintenance: assets, work orders, PMs, inventory, and compliance records. WAVE is a modeling tool used to design and simulate treatment trains such as RO, UF, and IX. WAVE helps engineers size systems and estimate performance, but it does not manage jobs or parts. Most utilities use a CMMS for daily operations and a design tool for engineering studies.
What’s the best water treatment service software for utilities?
“Best” depends on your goals, size, and how you work. eWorkOrders stands out for water/wastewater teams that want audit-ready maintenance, clear mobile workflows, and fast adoption. GIS-first utilities often shortlist map-centric platforms, while large agencies may prefer enterprise EAM suites. Build a short list, give each vendor the same scenario, and choose the one that reduces steps for your crew.
Which features matter most for water and wastewater plants?
Look for solid work order management, preventive and meter-based PMs, and asset hierarchies that match plants and remote sites. Mobile apps should work offline with photos and barcode/QR scanning. Inventory and purchasing ties parts to assets and jobs, so you see true costs. Reporting, SOP storage, and calibration records help during inspections.
How does a CMMS help with compliance and audits?
It keeps a full trail of who did the work, what checks were done, which parts were used, and when approvals happened. You can attach SOPs, permits, and calibration certificates to assets and jobs. Scheduled PMs and inspection routes reduce missed tasks that cause findings. When an auditor asks for proof, you can pull reports and job records without a scramble.
