Saturday, March 18, 2000
Monroe's meters go high tech
Readings will be electronic
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MONROE — Soon residents will no longer have to trudge down to the basement and fight their way through cobwebs to get to the water meter and scribble down the numbers to report to the water department.
They likely won't see a water meter reader, either, but their meters will be read by the city, said City Manager Don Whitman.
Higher-tech water meters being installed citywide mean the new meter installer/reader, Ed Turner, will not have to set foot on the property to know how much water was used in the last billing period, said Rob Takach, water superintendent.
He will just drive by in the new water meter van, and use an electronic device to read the radio-controlled meters, Mr. Takach said.
That information will be downloaded into a computer to generate water bills. “I think this is a step into the future for Monroe,” Mr. Whitman said. “The new meters will more accurately reflect water usage citywide. And by the city doing the readings and taking them electronically, there's less chance of human error, transposing numbers and such.”
More than 80 percent of the city's estimated 3,000 meters still must be replaced. The rest have either been replaced, or are in new buildings required to use the updated models, said Dave Collins, finance director.
Most meters at Mount Pleasant Retirement Village have been replaced, including those in the houses; and there's no noticeable difference in their function, said Jennifer Green, maintenance administrative assistant. They are not yet being read by the city.
“I'm looking forward to having them read electronically,” she said. “The residents (in houses) usually read their own, but if they have trouble, our maintenance people will go read them for them.”
The new meters will cost about $430,000, and there is no cost to property owners for meters to be replaced, Mr. Collins said.
Meters in businesses are being replaced now, then work will begin in residences by subdivision. Residents will be notified in advance. Evening hours can be scheduled. The work takes less than 30 minutes.
The project should be finished in 12-18 months. Customers may be asked to continue reading meters until their subdivision is completed, Mr. Whitman said.
The new meters will replace many that are 10-40 years old, including some that leak or give inaccurate readings, Mr. Takach said.
“There are some real antiques out there,” he said.
The old meters' life expectancy was 10 years, but accuracy drops after about five years, Mr. Takach said. The new meters should have a longer life and longer accuracy.
“This will benefit everyone,” Mr. Takach said. “It will increase our revenues because some of the water flow is not being registered through the old meters. It will also benefit the customers, because when the system is totally installed, we'll have monthly readings, so there won't be estimated bills anymore. That way they won't have a reading every three months that could jump up and bite them.”
But better accuracy could mean higher bills for some customers.
“I don't think it will be a significant increase. but those that have pretty worn-out meters and may have been getting a minimum bill, won't get a minimum bill anymore,” Mr. Takach said.
Mrs. Green said some Mount Pleasant residents, especially those in older homes, have complained about higher bills, but the increases have not been significant.
Mr. Takach said once a history is established with the new meters, high or low readings can be readily pinpointed. If a high reading does not change in a recheck, customers will be notified to look for a leak.
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