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Manitou Springs Water Meter Replacements to Begin in September
Starting around September 6, 2005 , 1,650 water meters in Manitou Springs will be replaced. The target meter population includes all commercial meters and residential meters which do not contain ERT (Electronic Radio Transmitter) readers. The purpose of this effort is to upgrade the City's water distribution system with an electronic reading capability and to replace meters that have served well beyond their estimated useful lives. Some 400 residential meters already upgraded are not included in this effort. All meters identified for replacement must be replaced.
Vanguard Utility Service will perform the meter upgrades under contract to the City of Manitou Springs. The Vanguard contractors are bonded, and will each be issued an official identification badge by the city. Water customers will receive letters from the city initiating the replacement process. City officials plan to target entire residential neighborhood areas one at a time. Large commercial customers will be contacted individually.
Water customers with questions or concerns can contact the city at 685-2579.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why are the meters being replaced? A statistical study of the city water meters indicated a considerable number of meters no longer measured usage correctly. The new meters will ensure that everyone's usage is measured with the same accuracy. In addition, the ERT will help cut down the amount of effort and cost to read the meters each month.
Is the meter replacement program mandatory? Yes.
What is being replaced? The actual physical meter is being replaced. The new meter will have a radio transmitter unit (ERT) included to help automate meter reading.
What about the remote reader I have in place? This unit will no longer be needed or connected to the meter.
How long will the replacement take? Meters that are accessible and have utility side shutoffs, can usually be done in less than 30 minutes.
Will my water be shutoff? Yes. Replacement of the meters requires that the water supply from the city be shutoff until the new meter is in place. Water service will be restored before the technician leaves.
What if only the remote reader is accessible? The property owner is responsible for making the physical meter available to the meter technicians for replacement. All costs for excavation and restoration are the responsibility of the property owner.
How will the billing be handled for the meter replacement? The first bill after the meter is replaced will have two commodity usage lines. One line will bill for the usage recorded from the old meter. The second line will bill for the usage on the new meter.
Will my water bill go up with new meter? It might. Some of the meters in the city are not functioning well, and the customers with these meters currently installed will likely see bills rise. Other customers whose current meters are largely accurate should see little difference in bills. One particular problem seen in our meters has been that some are very inaccurate at measuring low flows. Most often leaky faucets, running toilets and other such problems are low flows. Leaks that flow like this can use quite large amounts of water. A hole in a pipe of 1/16 of an inch can leak 74,000 gallons in a 3 month period!
How can the new meters help me find problems? The new meters have calibrations on the face of the dial which measure usage in 1/10 gallon units. Check the city website for documents from the Manitou Springs Water Conservation Committee (WCC) for tips on how to use the new meters to find leaks and conserve water.
What happens if I refuse to allow my meter to be replaced? Under city ordinance your water service can be shut off.
Other related Information and form.
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