Cal-Am Water to replace meters, set up leak-detection in Monterey area

Oct.30, 2008 in Water Conservation

(Oct. 24, 2008, TheCalifornian.com)

California American Water has started work on a new meter replacement program, aimed at reducing water loss in its Monterey distribution system, which has faced strict, government-mandated water restrictions for more than a decade.

The $5.5 million meter replacement program will install 7,500 new meters by 2011. The project will keep the Monterey water system in compliance with California Public Utilities Commission rules that require replacement of meters according to their size and age. Most residential meters, connected to home service lines less than one-inch in diameter, have to be replaced after 20 years of service…

The replacement program offers several new technological advancements. The meters themselves are “automatic read,” meaning that meter numbers can be ascertained through “drive-by” technology, with consumption figures automatically registered on meter readers’ handheld devices when they drive by a meter site. This innovation will save time and labor and reduce the potential for errors.

In addition, while meters are being replaced, listening stations will be installed at every tenth meter throughout the system. Using advanced acoustic monitoring devices, the stations will record frequencies associated with water leaks during four-hour overnight periods. The technology allows utilities to identify problematic underground infrastructure before it fails. The data collected by the listening stations will be sent daily via a radio transmitter signal to the California American Water local operations center for analysis.

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