Del City upgrading to automatic water meters

By Alyssa Dalley-Schofield

Staff Writer

New automatic water meters will be installed that are intended to improve water bills for Del City residents.

“They are considered ‘Automated Metering infrastructure’ which means that we will no longer have meter readers conducting manual reads. The reads on the meter will be transmitted through the FirstNet towers and received electronically,” said Assistant to the City Manager Brittany Parrott. 

Parrott said the cost for the new water meters is roughly $1.4 million and is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The city will use Smart Earth Technologies for the installation.

This project was initially brought to the city council at the May 1 meeting. The tentative date for the start of this project is July 26. 

The city’s website explains how the new water meters will be rolled out.

“This new technology will help customers identify possible leaks or excess water consumption quickly via our new Customer Portal, preventing a higher water bill and potential structure damage. Using the new portal that will be released later this year, you will have the ability to set alerts and restrictions that will help oversee your monthly costs.”

This customer portal allows residents to monitor their utility account in real time versus waiting for the bill. The tentative date for the portal to be active is November.

According to The City of Del City website, Del City Council members will hold discussions on the issue at the council meetings held the first and third Mondays of each month and there will be staff at most Neighborhood Watch Meetings who can answer questions throughout the process.