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WSSC pitches AMI rollout after audit finds $35 million in lost revenue from aging meters
Summary
WSSC told Montgomery County's Transportation & Environment Committee that 96% of its 503,000 meters are read manually, an aging system that a recent audit links to roughly $35 million a year in lost revenue; staff said 15 vendors replied to a market RFI and most recommended AMI. The utility proposed prioritizing disadvantaged communities and pairing meter replacements with lead-service work.
WSSC Water officials told the Montgomery County Transportation & Environment Committee that most of the utility's metering network is outdated and that modernizing it would both reduce safety risks for meter readers and recover significant lost revenue. "We have about a $35,000,000 revenue loss due to meter inaccuracies," WSSC Director of Utility Services Glenn Diaz said, noting the utility manages roughly 503,000 meters and that about 96% are still read manually.
Diaz summarized an industry request-for-information that drew 15 responses and said roughly two-thirds of respondents advised moving to advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or a hybrid AMI/AMR approach. WSSC presented AMI benefits including near-real-time leak detection, tamper detection, lower carbon footprint versus AMR truck rolls, and customer-facing software that allows households to set usage alerts. WSSC said it will prioritize large meter replacements and residential rollouts for disadvantaged communities and is forming a metering task force to develop procurement and rollout plans. Staff repeatedly framed the program as customer-focused: monthly billing and faster leak alerts are intended to help budget-constrained households and reduce unexpectedly large quarterly bills.
County members asked about workforce impacts and implementation timeframes; WSSC told the committee the program is intended to repurpose meter-reading staff (into technician and analytical roles) rather than eliminate jobs, and that a full deployment could be feasible within five years if suitably resourced. The utility offered to return with more detail, including a regional comparison graphic and a baseline of current customer billing patterns, before any procurement or budget requests proceed.
