Longwatch chosen for EPA pilot program

Longwatch Corp., a Norwood technology company, said its video surveillance system has been selected by the US Environmental Protection Agency to participate in a pilot program to protect the nation's drinking water.

The pilot program is worth about $100,000 to Longwatch, but if the pilot program goes smoothly, the EPA's WaterSentinel program could bring more than $40 million to the company, Longwatch said.

"Most water suppliers have numerous remote sites that require the installation of expensive new communication paths to support video," Longwatch chief executive Don Simoneau said in a statement.

But the Longwatch system transmits video over existing low and high bandwidth communications network, making it an affordable option, the company said

As a result, many water operators would be able to use their existing communications networks to transmit video, Simoneau said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)