LYNCHBURG — According to discussion at Tuesday night’s Metro Utility Department (MUD), contractor crews have installed nearly 400 new smart water meters as part of an ongoing systemwide upgrade that will eventually allow residents to monitor their usage online.
The Board approved the project back in April of this year – opting to wholesale replace all Zenner water meters inside the local system with Kamstrup meters at an estimated cost of a little over $1.4 million dollars. It is the second time in less than five years that meters have been replaced in an effort to chase MUD’s water loss issue.
You can read our full coverage of the approval of that project below.
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Manager Ronnie Cunningham told the board that three crews began installing new meters last week, though only two crews were working on Tuesday. The work is being completed by a company called Vanguard, who will arrive at homes and businesses in lettered vehicles.
“They’ve got most of the town done and are working their way out toward Riddle Road,” he said.
Cunningham warned board members that they are receiving complaints about meter replacements based on the third party trucks – leading to high call volume at the MUD offices.
The department is also waiting on the final pieces of infrastructure – including the communication cards for the collectors – before the system becomes fully automated. In the meantime, staff will manually read both old and new meters during the transition.
“We’ll have to read the old ones, write down the final numbers, and start the new ones at zero,” Cunningham explained. “It’s been a nightmare for the billing software.”
The bills themselves will look the same; however, on meters that have been changed out, the consumption will be added to one consumption line item and not separated out showing consumption on the old meters and the consumption on the new meter, according to MUD’s Katie Goodwin.
Once fully operational, the new meters will integrate with a cloud-based billing system, allowing the utility to identify leaks more quickly and reduce the need for in-person readings.
The Metro Utility Board meets every second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the MUD offices located at 705 Fayetteville Highway. To be added to the addenda for the November meeting, contact them at 931-759-4297. •
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