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Utilities report: AMI meter rollout nearly complete; valve and hydrant crew equipment requested
Summary
Tony Ortega said the AMI meter exchange is near completion with 3,202 meters swapped and a contractor exchanging 2,400 meters this week. Utilities proposed forming a valve/hydrant crew and requested vehicles and heavier excavator equipment ($170,000 truck, $85,000 excavator) and listed planned sewer and waterline replacements.
Assistant Utilities Superintendent Tony Ortega told the council the AMI meter program is nearing completion: 3,202 meters have been exchanged to date, a contractor began exchanging 2,400 meters this week and staff expect the contractor work finished in the next month or two. Ortega said operational spending is trending slightly down (a reported 0.71% decrease) as the meter-replacement item declines.
Ortega outlined completed and planned projects: the East Loop 20-inch waterline Phase 1 finished, Boylan and Saint John main replacements (in-house footage reported), and planned Park Street and Buoy Street sewer replacements. He requested CIP funding for a Peterbilt dump truck (~$170,000) and a larger excavator (~$85,000) to equip a new valve-and-hydrant crew, which staff said will also be available to other divisions. Ortega said valve-isolation and valve-replacement capability will help isolate breaks, improving service reliability.
Councilmembers asked about leak-detection technology; Ortega described an older acoustic "hearing" device and acknowledged newer technologies exist but are not currently in the fleet. A councilmember suggested exploring an animal-based detection program used by another city; Ortega said he would consider options.
