Wawarsing board ratifies grant application to install cellular water meters

The Town of Wawarsing board on a roll-call vote ratified a resolution to submit an application to the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Green Innovation Grant Program to install cellular water meters in town water districts.

Town officials said the meters would provide near real-time meter reads (updates within about 15 minutes were cited in the meeting), enable mobile access to household water usage and allow customers to set leak and usage alerts. Officials also said the change would reduce the need for staff to enter homes and basements for manual readings, improving safety and efficiency. Staff submitted the application the prior Friday; the board was not given a timeline for grant awards.

The resolution spells out that the local grant share or portion of the project funding would be the responsibility of the affected property owners. Board members voted in favor during the meeting’s roll-call; Councilwoman Ellis was noted as absent with notice.

The measure was introduced as a single-resolution agenda item; discussion during the meeting emphasized customer benefits (leak detection and year-over-year usage comparisons) and operational benefits for public works staff. The supervisor thanked county grants staff and local water-utility personnel for preparing the application.

Next steps: the town awaits notification from the state agency on award decisions and will return to the board with details about the grant terms and any schedule for installation if the award is made.