Orange Water and Sewer Authority recently announced a new initiative, Agua Vista, to replace all 21,000 currently installed water meters.
OWASA sustainability manager Mary Tiger said in a video released about the project that the new meters will give OWASA the ability to view more detailed water use information.
The video goes on to state, “The AMI meters will briefly communicate once a day from a small unit inside the meter box called a collector unit. The collector unit then transmits the meter reading data back to OWASA. This new metering infrastructure allows OWASA to monitor water usage on a near-real-time basis.”
According to the video, this will allow OWASA to detect leaks early and to provide detailed information about water consumption to customers who will soon be able to track that information online.
Since the beginning of 2018 and continuing until the spring of 2019, OWASA is going to all houses and businesses updating and replacing the old meters.
“You will be notified by mail about four weeks before the installers are scheduled to start work in your neighborhood and will knock on your door before we begin any work on your meter. The installation shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, but we will need to turn your water off for about 15 minutes of that time. After the installation, we will leave a tag on your front door informing you that your water meter has been upgraded.”
According to general manager of operations for OWASA Todd Taylor, the project is going to cost over $5 million and take about two years to complete.
“OWASA financed the project with a low-interest loan from the state, and we are not raising rates to pay for the project. We plan to finish in the spring of 2019,” said Taylor.
Taylor said he hopes online access to customers will be available later this year.
For more information visit their website.
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