Implementation underway — CRM, invoicing, Stripe credit card processing, field scheduling, and meter mapping, workorder management, all running on one system.
The Problem With Running a Small Water Utility
Water utility management is not complicated — until it is.
You have customers. You have meters. You have shares. You have billing cycles, compliance tests, scheduling windows, and a customer service line that only you answer. Most small irrigation districts and water utilities are running on spreadsheets, paper ledgers, or software that was built for a different era and costs more than it should.
There is no single system designed for small utility operators. So operators piece it together — one tool for billing, one for scheduling, one for tracking meter locations, one for collecting payments. Nothing talks to anything. Something always falls through the cracks.
That is the problem BasicBMS was built to solve. Not just for construction companies or service businesses — for any organization that needs to manage customers, track assets, generate invoices, and collect payments without stitching together three different subscriptions.
Pomona Artesian Irrigation Company Has Selected BasicBMS
Pomona Artesian Irrigation Company, serving the Yakima area with 70 water shares and 65 residential homes, has selected BasicBMS as its preferred billing and operations platform. Implementation is underway.
The decision was noted in this year’s company minutes: BasicBMS was selected as their billing solution going forward.
This is not a customized enterprise deployment. It is BasicBMS — the same modular platform available to any business — applied to the specific operational needs of a small water utility.
What Pomona Is Using BasicBMS For
The implementation covers five core areas:
CRM — Customer and Account Management
Every customer, every water share, every service address tracked in one place. No more searching folders or digging through spreadsheets to find account history. The CRM ties directly to invoicing and scheduling so the entire customer record is connected.
Invoicing
Billing for water shares and residential accounts, generated and delivered through BasicBMS. Invoice history, line items, and account status are all visible from the customer record.
Stripe Credit Card Processing
Customers can pay by credit card directly from their invoice. BasicBMS handles the Stripe Checkout integration — payment links, QR codes, automatic GL updates, and fee disclosure. Payments post automatically. No manual reconciliation.
Scheduler — Compliance and Field Work Tracking
Water utilities have compliance requirements — meter testing, water quality checks, service appointments. The BasicBMS Scheduler keeps those tasks organized, assigned, and tracked with dates, status, and field notes.
Map Feature — Meter Location and Service Address Mapping
Every meter location and service address is mapped inside BasicBMS. Field crews know where they are going. Management has a visual reference of the entire service area. No more printing maps or pulling up a separate application.
What Is Still In Progress
One piece of the puzzle we are actively building: automated billing. Recurring utility billing on a set schedule — generate, send, and collect without manual steps each cycle — is in development. We will cover that milestone in a future post when it is live.
In addition, Pomona uses Badger Meter reading equipment. After the CRM and billing implementation is stable, the next conversation will be about meter reading integration — pulling reads directly into the billing system. That is a future phase, not the current scope.
Why This Matters Beyond Pomona
The Pomona implementation demonstrates something important about how BasicBMS is built.
The modules are not designed for one industry. The CRM, invoicing, scheduling, mapping, and payment tools are built as a general-purpose platform — modular, configurable, and deployable to fit the specific workflow of the business using them.
A water utility needs the same core functions as a construction company or a service business: manage customers, track assets, generate invoices, collect payments, schedule work. The data model and the workflow adapt. The platform does not change.
This means BasicBMS can be the foundation for other irrigation districts, water cooperatives, and small utility operators facing the same operational patchwork problem Pomona was dealing with. One system. Your data. Your control.
About BasicBMS
BasicBMS is a modular business management system built for small and mid-size businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets and do not want to pay for software they do not use. Modules are $25/month each. Setup is $500. Five users included. On-premises deployment available.
I built BasicBMS running my own businesses — Bondbyte Inc. and Bond Excavating and Construction — after 15 years of working alongside bookkeepers and accountants. I know what breaks down operationally because I lived it.
If you are running a utility, an irrigation district, or a service business and want to see how BasicBMS fits your workflow, reach out. I do every demo personally.
