Mount Vernon outlines $2M H2 Overhaul: replace meters, install flow monitors and use internal debt to finance upgrades

Mount Vernon administration presented a multi‑year utility modernization plan — dubbed “H2 Overhaul” — to replace aging water meters, install permanent wastewater flow meters to measure inflow and infiltration (I&I), and improve metering and billing accuracy. Staff said the city found nearly 4,000 water meters at or beyond expected service life and that historical meter replacement pace (roughly 100 per year in normal cycles) is insufficient. City staff reported an estimated annual unaccounted water volume equivalent to roughly 50% of treated water—about 500,000,000 gallons per year—calculated from current meter reads and distribution data; the Environmental Protection Agency had asked the city to explain the high water‑loss metric. Key elements: the administration proposed bulk procurement of roughly 4,000 new meters and 400 SmartPoint MXU communication modules,…