Usalco buys SENTRY Water Monitoring to boost Decision Blue with real-time biology data

Usalco has acquired SENTRY Water Monitoring and folded its bio-electrode monitoring technology into the Decision Blue platform. The deal gives municipal and industrial wastewater operators faster visibility into biological changes that can affect treatment, compliance, and water quality.

Why it matters: - The acquisition gives Decision Blue a live biological signal, not just delayed lab results. - Faster detection of load changes, toxic events, or microbial imbalances can help operators respond before treatment performance slips. - Usalco is betting that combining chemistry, software, and real-time sensing will improve wastewater decision-making and public health outcomes.

What happened: - Usalco finalized an agreement to acquire SENTRY Water Monitoring on October 1, 2026. - SENTRY provides real-time bio-electrode monitoring for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. - SENTRY’s technology, customers, and team are joining Usalco’s Digital Solutions group and the Decision Blue treatment intelligence platform. - The acquisition expands Decision Blue’s water monitoring, AI process modeling, and real-time treatment analytics capabilities.

The details: - SENTRY’s bio-electrode system produces a continuous biological signal that translates into wastewater parameters including Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), biodegradable Chemical Oxygen Demand (BCOD), and Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA). - The system detects changes in microbial activity as they happen. - Decision Blue can use the added signal alongside chemistry data, machine learning, and AI. - SENTRY’s technology also integrates with SCADA and other plant systems. - Usalco said the acquisition supports a more proactive approach to treatment decisions. - Earlier visibility can support more effective wastewater treatment, stronger regulatory compliance, and better protection of local waterways. - Chris Miller, VP of Digital Innovation, will lead the integration through Decision Blue’s product and engineering team. - Miller has overseen the platform since its earliest days as Fontus Blue, which he founded.

Between the lines: - Usalco is treating data reliability as a core part of its AI strategy. - The company is adding hardware and biological sensing to make its recommendation tools more trustworthy. - SENTRY founder Patrick Kiely and members of the SENTRY team are joining Decision Blue, which adds sensing expertise and an installed customer base. - Patrick Kiely will join Usalco as VP of Technology and Strategic Growth. - Usalco’s focus appears to be building a full-stack water intelligence platform, not just selling treatment chemistry.

What’s next: - Decision Blue will continue expanding across software, data, AI, treatment modeling, and digital services. - Usalco will integrate SENTRY’s monitoring capability into its broader platform and operations. - The company is positioning the combined system to give operators faster answers and more confidence in day-to-day treatment decisions. - More information about Decision Blue is available here.