Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Meters topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town hears proposal for hourly-reading water meters, council favors pilot for new subdivisions
Summary
Peterson Plumbing presented Zener-compatible meters that provide hourly readings, leak alarms and a customer portal. The company proposed a no/low-upfront pilot for new subdivisions; council supported testing the system before any full rollout.
Brad Christiansen of Peterson Plumbing visited the Sigurd council to explain options for replacing aging master meters with Zener-compatible meters and transmitters.
Christiansen said the system “gives hourly reading updates” and transmits them to the town so staff can spot leaks and track usage in near real time. He described two installation options: installing a new meter and radio (quoted at about $320) or replacing a register and adding a radio to existing meters (about $255). He noted radios are roughly $150 each and that the vendor charges about $6 per device per year for network service. “The system that we're looking at doing for you guys…gives hourly reading updates,” Christiansen said, adding that a customer portal could be enabled for residents to view hourly usage with a small setup fee.
The presentation stressed benefits the council raised repeatedly: earlier leak detection, improved billing accuracy from replacing old, slow meters, and automatic alarms for unusual usage. Christiansen recommended a pilot approach: install transmitters in new subdivisions and operate the system for six months before committing to wider deployment so the town could return equipment if it did not meet expectations.
Council members and staff discussed operational details: whether remotely controlled shutoff valves could be reactivated only electronically, and how quickly the network reports a turned-on meter (the vendor said usage typically appears in the next day’s upload). Christiansen also described battery life and warranties: factory battery-life claims near 18 years, a 20-year warranty window and modest replacement costs (battery replacement estimated at about $30 when out of warranty).
Council members signaled support for a pilot program rather than an immediate, full replacement. A formal vote on launching a pilot was deferred to a subsequent meeting and will be placed on the June agenda so staff can return with cost estimates and an implementation plan.
Next procedural step: staff to place a pilot-program proposal on the council’s June agenda that will include estimated costs, scope (new subdivisions first) and a recommended timetable.
