The Village of Waterville has taken steps to start the process of purchasing and installing new radial remote read water meters. The purpose of this program is to reduce the time and process of meter readings and billing entries.
This is a 3-year plan which encompasses the purchase of 690 water meters at a cost of $226.50 per meter. This is a large investment for the Village totaling $160,000.00 plus administration cost. Once the new meters are installed, we will no longer need to walk up to houses to read the outside meter. Instead, we will be able to drive by homes with our reading equipment to acquire a current reading.
The first phase of this plan has been implemented with the recent purchase of 300 meters along with the reading equipment and software. The Village Clerk’s office will be sending out a letter requesting an appointment time to get the new meter installed. The letter is being sent out based on the meter reading routes that have been set up. Some residents may not receive a letter until the next phase of installations begins which could be in the next year or two. Every water user will be required to have a meter installed. We are only installing the 3/4 meters at this time. Some larger meters will be addressed later in the plan.
How the meter works:
The meter is a T-10 3/4 X 5/8 Neptune radial remote read meter. The meter sends off a signal every 14 sec. and will record data up to 96 days. We have a belt clip remote reader that reads when it passes by a house and will record the reading to a program that is downloaded to a tablet. Once the reading is on the tablet, it will be uploaded to a cloud-based server where the reading will be applied to the homeowner’s account.
Installation Information:
Most water meters are located in cellars or crawl spaces. The area around the meter will need to be free of debris and clutter. We realize that many homes have old plumbing and may need to have a new shut off replaced inside the home. It will be the responsibility of the homeowner to have the shut off replaced and working properly. Please check the shut off prior to meter installation. The Village is only responsible for the meter and meter tail in your home. If any homeowner does not have a meter, or have proper plumbing to accommodate a meter, it will be their responsibility to have these installed. The Village cannot do this for you. Once meters are installed, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure thay do not freeze or become damaged. If this occurs, it will be at the homeowner’s expense to purchase a new meter through the Village at a cost of $226.50.
Thank you for your help with this program. If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Bechy.
