Denton PUB recommends $26 million Badger Meter contract for citywide water smart meters
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Summary
The Denton Public Utilities Board recommended a five-year, $26 million contract with Badger Meter to implement a citywide water advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, citing leak detection, near-real-time usage data and customer portals; the board voted unanimously to forward the contract to City Council on April 21.
The Denton Public Utilities Board on April 13 recommended that the City Council approve a five-year contract (with five one-year extensions) valued at $26,000,000 with Badger Meter to deploy a citywide water advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system.
Tiffany Schrain, water utilities asset management supervisor, told the board the AMI system is a two-way smart-meter network including meters, endpoints, a collection system, meter-data-management and a customer portal. Schrain said the system will improve measurement accuracy, enable leak detection, provide customers with usage alerts and help the utility meet compliance obligations.
Staff outlined a staged deployment beginning with a proof-of-concept, followed by system acceptance testing and then a mass meter change-out, with the rollout expected to span roughly 24 months. Schrain said the initial RFP produced six proposals and that Badger Meter ranked as the best value and best able to meet the city’s identified objectives.
Board members pressed staff on scope and operations. A committee member asked whether the deployment covers residential and commercial meters; Schrain said the plan includes both and will start with residential installations, with commercial replacements occurring at the utility’s discretion. On whether a failed proof-of-concept would force a restart, staff characterized the pilot as a “soft opening” to address implementation issues rather than an all-or-nothing trial.
On cybersecurity, a board member asked how the cellular communications will be protected. Schrain said Badger leverages secure commercial cellular networks and transmits data on a private network, and that the vendor cited ISO 27001 and SOC 2 standards; she said staff would follow up with more detailed encryption specs if the board wished.
Staff told the board that the vendor indicates an expected meter battery life of about 20 years and that construction or meter-box work needed during installation would be covered by the contract after a pre-survey. The board also asked staff to provide a prior cost-savings study (Fries & Nichols) to quantify projected operational savings from reduced manual reads.
Following discussion the board moved, seconded and voted unanimously to recommend award of the AMI contract to Badger Meter; staff noted the contract is scheduled for a final decision by the City Council on April 21.
Actions: The board took a formal recommendation vote to forward the Badger Meter contract to City Council. Motion mover: Chair (as called on the record); second: Tiffany Schrain (present on the item). Outcome: approved unanimously.
