New water meters being installed by the city of Enid will trace water usage to within one-tenth of a gallon, suppliers of the new water meters say.
Jared Hendrix, of HD Supply, who is the city’s supplier of the Neptune Water Meters and Scott Morris, utility services manager for the city made a presentation on the meters to a handful of plumbers Wednesday morning.
A flow indicator shows the direction of flow through the meter indicating water in use, not in use, water running slowly, reverse flow and forward flow. A leak indicator displays a variety of possible leaks. An intermittent leak indicates water h as been used for at least 50 of the 95, 15-minute intervals during a 24-hour period. It also indicates water use for all 15-minute intervals.
The average rate of flow also is displayed every six seconds. An LCD display shows the meter reading in billing units of measure; U.S. gallons, cubic feet, imperial gallons or cubic meters.
About 2,000 meters already are in the ground, mostly south of Garriott Road. The meters use the same valve as previously but with a computerized readings. The process of installation will make the some shut-off valves easier to reach, in the event of water emergency at the home.
The meters record daily consumption within one-tenth of a gallon and will detect all types of leaks, Hendrix said. The readings come in daily, and the city can notify a resident if a leak is detected and tell the resident what type of leak is likely.
There are 16 data collectors placed around the city to collect information from the new meters. If anything interferes with the readings, the city will investigate and if the meter has been tampered with, the resident will receive a letter from the city and could be subject to a fine, Morris said.
Morris said water bills could increase because of the more precise measuring, but he does not think most residents will notice significant increases. The city purchased and will install nearly 20,000 meters.
One thing residents may notice about the meters is the antenna sticking up from the ground over the meter. Morris said it is safe to mow and operate a weedeater around them.
“This will be a benefit to everyone. What people will notice if they have a high bill and think they have a leak, they can call and get accurate information. We can help them identify where the water use is hour-per-hour,” Morris said.
The meters will not cost residents any additional money for purchase and installation. The only charge to residents is for water consumption, he said.