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New smart meters deployed two months early; leak reports spike questions about monthly 'unaccounted' figures
Summary
The district completed its AMI (smart meter) deployment ahead of schedule; utilities staff ran an early leak report that flagged 18 potential leaks. A resident raised monthly 'unaccounted for' water figures (about 18–20% for recent months), and staff said annual loss history is usually 9–11% and AMI will clarify causes.
The Cambria CSD completed installation of its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) two months ahead of schedule, staff said June 12, and has begun using the system to detect leaks and validate consumption.
Utilities Manager Green reported an early weekly leak run in which 18 leaks were flagged for follow‑up; he said about 90% of the flagged leaks were on customer‑side plumbing rather than district mains and that the AMI data should reduce both wasted water and customer bills when problems are found and repaired. "We ran a weekly leak report on Tuesday of this week and 18 leaks popped up which were then investigated," Green said.
At the same meeting Dr. Elizabeth Bentonhausen said the district’s month‑by‑month billing and pumping reports showed unusually high percentages of water “unaccounted for” in March and April — roughly 18–20% — and urged a formal investigation. Dr. Bentonhausen: "the district was unable to account for 18.41% of the water that was pumped" (March/April monthly snapshots), which she said was worrying and required follow‑up. Utilities staff cautioned that short monthly snapshots can differ from the standard annual water‑loss calculations and said the district's seven‑year annual loss range is typically nearer to 9–11%.
Green said the AMI network and planned satellite/ground monitoring tools (ASTERA portal review) are tools the district will use to investigate persistent loss, and staff will bring more refined loss metrics as AMI read integration and the customer portal come online.
Next steps: Utilities will continue AMI leak runs, investigate the flagged leaks, integrate meter endpoints into the billing system and provide updated (and methodologically consistent) monthly/annual loss figures to the board.
