WATER METERS, METER READING EQUIPMENT, AND SOFTWARE
Council Water Committee
November 9, 2023
Agenda Item No. 3.2
Water Service Areas
North Stockton Service Area
Cal Water Service Area
South Stockton Service Area
Current System Status
The City has over 50,000 meters that are currently manually read every month Water Division staff walk 7-8 miles per day reading every meter The data is then manually uploaded into the City’s billing system Meter reading is critical to collect water use data for customer billing This is a very labor intensive program
Over half the City’s meters are greater than 15 years old and at the end of their useful life
Water Meters
Meters are bronze/brass with a register attached
Vendor Selection Process
RFP advertised March 2023
Received 4 proposals which were evaluated and ranked
Aqua Metrics was the highest ranked firm
Selection team of 3 Water Division staff was unanimous
Cost approximately $17 Million
6-year project
Advanced Meter Infrastructure
All meters will be converted from manual read to an automated read system Water use data is sent automatically via radio frequency to an antenna tower and then to a cloud-based data base Data can then be imported to HTE for monthly billing
Eliminates the need to visit every meter monthly
Radio towers will be located at 3 water reservoir sites and the Water Field Office
Public Outreach
Notification flyers prior to meter installation
Information posted on the City’s website
Public outreach meetings
Training of City staff
Public questions & interface
Field
Software
Justification
Technology is available and widely used by utilities to automatically collect data A much more streamlined process
Less staff time is needed for data collection
Radio signal will automatically transmit data to the cloud Data can be easily accessed and evaluated
Meters can be queried remotely to determine water use for leak detection, bill inquiries, and water conservation Project will result in improved customer service
Schedule
Contract approval scheduled for City Council on December 12, 2023 Contractor kick off and mobilization in February 2024
Antenna installation first
Meter installation done by read routes starting with the oldest meter areas first Six-year contract to install infrastructure and over 50,000 meters System will be tested to insure accurate readings and data transmission
Conclusion
Project is critical to replace and upgrade meters
Automatic data transmission
Less labor to collect data and manage billing
Data is easily accessible for leak detection, evaluation, and billing