Norwich to receive up to one million dollars for water meter project
According to representatives of the City of Norwich Department of Public Works, the city’s water meters are approximately 20 years old and in need of replacement, but thanks to the New York State Green Innovation Grant Program, the meters should be replaced with new digital meters within a year. (Submitted photo)
NORWICH – The City of Norwich has been selected to receive up to one million dollars as part of the New York State Green Innovation Grant Program, and public works representatives said they believe the upgrade will result in potential savings and improved service for customers in the city.
According to City of Norwich Director of Public Works Ed Pepe, the meters in the City of Norwich are about 20 years old, and are due for an upgrade. Pepe said the city applied for this grant in February, and that while some reserve funds will be used to help complete the project it will not result in added water bill costs.
He said there are approximately 2,800 water meters to replace, and they hope to have the work completed in a year or less.
“We’re going to be putting in new smart meter technology, they’re digital and we’re going to have a real-time read system,” said Pepe. “The biggest advantage will be improved customer service, we’re going to know when there are issues in real time because we can detect when abnormal usage is occurring.”
He said up to 75 percent of the cost would be paid for through the grant, and the city will have to pay the remaining 25 percent of the cost. He added that the total cost of the project will likely be over a million dollars.
“There will not be an increase in water rates to this project, anything that we’re going to match will be from reserves,” said Pepe. “We’ve been planning on replacing water meters for a couple years now, and when this grant became available we decided it was time.”
Pepe said he hopes the active water monitoring will become a major asset for the city, and for individuals who leave the area during the winter time.
“The hope is that with the smart meters you could have people starting to seal up leaks, saving money and water,” he said. “We’ll have notifications that will tell people their toilets are leaking or that there is a small leak that is occurring all throughout the night.”
“A lot of people live in places out of the area over the winter, and sometimes there are line breaks with no one around. This will help us find out faster, and hopefully shut off the water to their house before there’s too much damage.”
He added that the project is fairly straightforward, and the city looks forward to getting it completed as soon as possible.
According to City of Norwich Director of Public Works Ed Pepe, the meters in the City of Norwich are about 20 years old, and are due for an upgrade. Pepe said the city applied for this grant in February, and that while some reserve funds will be used to help complete the project it will not result in added water bill costs.
He said there are approximately 2,800 water meters to replace, and they hope to have the work completed in a year or less.
“We’re going to be putting in new smart meter technology, they’re digital and we’re going to have a real-time read system,” said Pepe. “The biggest advantage will be improved customer service, we’re going to know when there are issues in real time because we can detect when abnormal usage is occurring.”
He said up to 75 percent of the cost would be paid for through the grant, and the city will have to pay the remaining 25 percent of the cost. He added that the total cost of the project will likely be over a million dollars.
“There will not be an increase in water rates to this project, anything that we’re going to match will be from reserves,” said Pepe. “We’ve been planning on replacing water meters for a couple years now, and when this grant became available we decided it was time.”
Pepe said he hopes the active water monitoring will become a major asset for the city, and for individuals who leave the area during the winter time.
“The hope is that with the smart meters you could have people starting to seal up leaks, saving money and water,” he said. “We’ll have notifications that will tell people their toilets are leaking or that there is a small leak that is occurring all throughout the night.”
“A lot of people live in places out of the area over the winter, and sometimes there are line breaks with no one around. This will help us find out faster, and hopefully shut off the water to their house before there’s too much damage.”
He added that the project is fairly straightforward, and the city looks forward to getting it completed as soon as possible.
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