Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Supply topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Broadview says meter tampering, faulty meters and leaks drove high non‑revenue water; alarms down from 3,400 to about 270
Summary
Public works described a 1.5–2 year inquiry into Broadview’s non‑revenue water showing a large discrepancy; staff cited meter tampering and faulty industrial meters, replaced larger compound meters, and reported daily system alarms have fallen from roughly 3,400 to about 270 as corrective steps proceed.
Public works Director Matt Ames and Finance Director Tom Hood described a multi‑year investigation into Broadview’s non‑revenue water (NRW) — the difference between water the village purchases and the amount billed to customers.
Ames said the village engaged Arcadis through Build Up Cook to assess the distribution system, and Hood conducted a forensic accounting that revealed the discrepancy. “At one point, there was a 50% discrepancy, literally. So we're purchasing 1,000,000 gallons, but we're only selling a half 1,000,000 gallons,” Ames said.
Staff said the inquiry found several causes: damaged or faulty meters — especially larger compound meters at industrial accounts — tampered meters and broken wireless readers (MXUs). Ames said crews discovered instances where residents had “literally removed their meters straight pipe” and where MXU wires “were cut.” The village has prioritized replacing faulty compound meters and assigned staff to investigate daily alarms.
Ames summarized operational progress: “When we started the investigation, our alarms were, on a daily basis, 3,400. To date, we have 270,” he said, noting the count falls as staff eliminate false or explainable alarms and repair meter failures.
Staff described enforcement and customer notification steps: the village will issue notices for service‑side leaks and has an ordinance (Chapter 8 referenced in the presentation) that sets a compliance period (staff cited a 30‑day notice window) and a daily charge metric for unmetered loss (staff referenced a 5,000‑gallon‑per‑day accounting charge as an example). The department said continued meter replacements, alarm monitoring and follow‑up visits to customers are part of the corrective plan.
Next steps: staff will continue meter replacements (starting with large compound meters), daily alarm investigation, follow up on notices to property owners for service‑side repairs, and report NRW metrics to trustees at future meetings.
