Customers of the Cedar Park water utility will be able to utilize a new method to track their water usage as the city will implement advanced water meters by spring.
Cedar Park is replacing its existing water meters with advanced metering infrastructure, or “smart meters,” throughout the city as part of a new service enhancement project. The city’s existing system involves city officials using remote radios for automatic meter readings, though the customer consumption readings are only gathered once per month, according to a city news release.
The current meter-reading system does not offer hourly data or provide customers with high-usage and leak notifications. The smart meters update water usage data every four hours, and customers can access the information from a computer, tablet or smart phone. Customers will also be able to receive water consumption threshold alerts, comparative data, leak alerts and other notifications, according to the city.
Crews will begin installing the water meters this fall, but the smart meter data will not be available to customers until spring, said Jennie Huerta, media and communications manager with the city. According to the news release, the data from the smart meters will allow customers to monitor their water consumption more closely and adjust their usage.
“It will allow people to do detective work on their usage and help them save water,” Cedar Park Mayor Matt Powell said. “For people to proactively see that information, it is just wonderful.”
Four companies submitted proposals to install and manage the new meters, and on Aug. 4 City Council approved a contract with Aqua Metric. The company has more than 50 years of experience with similar projects and has installed Sensus USA advanced water meter systems in more than 10,000 utilities across the nation, according to city documents.
The total project cost is expected to be $5.19 million and will be paid for through the city’s utility fund. The city will install 22,000 new meters across Cedar Park, a process that is expected to take about nine months, according to the release.
Mayor Pro Tem Lyle Grimes said the new meters are a step in the right direction for the city.
“They not only allow more transparency on the city side, but also on the customer side,” he said. “It allows them so see their usage and make adjustments.”
The city expects the new meters to also benefit the water utility by providing more accurate utility analytics and customer consumption data, better meter data management, less water loss and theft, and a reduction in labor. The internet-based dashboard also allows the water utility to send alerts and messages to customers.
Crews began installing the new meters in September, according to the city. Customers’ water will be turned off for two to three minutes while a new meter is installed. The city plans to notify residents and businesses by hanging notices on doors days in advance, and it will attempt to notify customers in person on the day of the installation.