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Groves council hears Schneider Electric pitch for $5.7 million automated water‑meter project
Summary
Schneider Electric told the Groves City Council it can replace the city’s meters with an automated metering infrastructure (AMI) system, offering 20‑year warranties, acoustic and flow-based leak detection, and an estimated $667,000 in annual savings; the council asked for funding and scheduling details.
Schneider Electric presented an automated metering infrastructure (AMI) proposal to the Groves City Council on Nov. 24, 2025, outlining a citywide replacement of mechanical water meters with ultrasonic, two‑way meters and a radio gateway network.
The company’s program manager, Craig Messermerich, said the firm’s “turnkey design‑build methodology results in a firm fixed price,” and emphasized the approach is vendor‑agnostic to help the city choose meters that fit local needs. Project features the presenters described include customer portals, near‑real‑time uploads via radio gateways, and both flow‑based and acoustic leak detection for the city’s distribution system.
Why it matters: presenters said Groves produces on the order of 880 million gallons of raw water annually and faces a sizable non‑revenue volume. Schneider’s analysis attributed roughly 6.2 million gallons to meter inaccuracy and said the AMI system, combined with more sensitive meters and acoustic sensors, would allow the city and residents to detect leaks earlier and reduce non‑revenue water.
Technical and warranty claims: Schneider described ultrasonic meters with no moving parts and a 20‑year warranty on each meter. They said some meters can store about 460 days of endpoint data before upload, which the company said improves resilience during outages or obstructions. The presentation included two leak‑detection approaches: (1) meter‑level monitoring that flags persistent overnight flow and (2) acoustic monitoring across the distribution grid to identify main leaks.
Cost and savings: the presenters gave a headline number of just under $5.7 million for the total project cost. Their slide summary estimated annual benefits of roughly $667,000 — a figure the company broke down as approximately $389,000 from recovered revenue, about $134,000 from leak‑detection benefits, and additional efficiency savings — and projected multi‑million‑dollar benefits over a 20‑year horizon. The presenters described an expected payback in the single‑digit to low‑teen years depending on which savings are counted.
Customer options and implementation: Schneider said residents could be offered an optional, separate customer‑side shutoff for a fixed fee; after a one‑year warranty the shutoff would be the homeowner’s responsibility. The company proposed a communications plan that includes mailed notices (6,500 expected letters for required lead/copper surveys), door hangers, apps, and workshops during the installation.
Council response and next steps: council members asked about whether the rate increases approved as part of the city’s five‑year rate plan would cover the investment; staff replied the plan anticipated issuing debt for a meter replacement project and that the rate increases should cover the expense. Council members also discussed whether the city should subsidize optional customer shutoffs and how monitoring alerts would be triaged. No final council vote on the Schneider contract was recorded in the meeting transcript; councilmembers asked staff to return with additional details on contract language, schedule and funding options.
