Water department reveals shocking meter failures costing thousands

During a recent government meeting, officials discussed ongoing issues with water meter accuracy and the implications for both the county and its customers. One representative highlighted significant problems with one of the four water meters they manage, noting that it has been replaced multiple times over the past three years due to consistent failures. This has resulted in financial losses for both the county and customers, who feel they have been overcharged for services not rendered.

The representative revealed that a recently discovered malfunctioning meter had been underreporting water usage for over two years, leading to an estimated loss of around 100,000 gallons of water revenue. This situation underscores the broader issue of meter inaccuracies, with concerns raised about the percentage of meters potentially falling into the \"lost revenue\" category.

Currently, the county employs a full-time meter reader and additional maintenance staff to manually check meters, but the inefficiencies of the existing system have prompted discussions about transitioning to a new metering system. The proposed changes could reduce the need for dedicated meter reading staff, allowing employees to focus on other maintenance tasks.

The meeting concluded with a call for further inquiries into the water department's operations, but no additional questions were raised at that time. The officials expressed gratitude for the discussions and indicated that they would continue to address these critical issues moving forward.