Water meter replacement will cost $2.8 million

CENTRE WELLINGTON – The township will spend $2.8 million to replace 4,720 water meters at private homes in the township in 2026.

Council approved the contract for Neptune Technology Group Canada Co. to do the work at the Sept. 15 council meeting.

Manager of water services and environmental sustainability Dino Masiero told council the original plan was to replace the water meters, installed in 2003, over two years.

But Neptune preferred to do the job in one year.

Because the meters are so old, they are not giving accurate readings, Masiero said.

“In addition to decreased accuracy, the original meters are equipped with a battery that has exceeded their expected lifecycle,” states the accompanying report.

“Initially designed with a 10-year battery, a replacement program was undertaken between 2012 and 2013 using the best available batteries at the time, also rated for 10 years.

“As a result, all original meters now contain batteries that are beyond their service life, increasing the risk of failure and data transmission issues.”

He estimated $210,000 in water use was being missed because of leaks or calcium build-up in the old meters.

“The new meters will detect leaks and provide continuous data,” Masiero said. “Meter reading will be drastically reduced.”

This will reduce the amount of time staff spends manually reading meters and dealing with leaks.

The new system comes with a software program that provides alerts.

Homeowners will be notified if and when their meter is to be replaced, Masiero said.

Because the program was originally budgeted over two years, the shortfall of $294,280 will be funded from water and wastewater reserves.