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Newsroom
December 4, 2007 DETROIT WATER AND SEWERAGE DEPARTMENT
STARTS FIRST PHASE
OF INSTALLING NEW WATER METER TECHNOLOGY DETROIT—Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Director Victor M. Mercado announced the department will begin installing new water meters on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, providing timely, accurate meter reading that eliminates the need for estimated bills and ensures that every customer is paying their fair share for water service. Detroit Water Automated Meter Reading (AMR) is a citywide program of DWSD to update the city’s water system by installing new automated meters in every Detroit residence over the next three years. The first phase of the installation will be conducted in the area north of East Warren Avenue, east of Woodward Avenue, south of the City of Highland Park, and west of the City of Hamtramck and Joseph Campau. In addition, a second area includes the area bound on the north by McNichols, on the east by Joseph Campau, on the south by the City of Hamtramck, and on the west by the City of Highland Park. “In order for this program to run efficiently and smoothly, customers in the phase one area need to schedule their appointments as soon as possible after receiving the installation alert in the mail,” Mercado said. Customers will be sent an Installation Alert in the mail identifying when the installation team will be in their area. Customers will then be able to make an appointment by either mailing in a tear-off card attached to the Installation Alert or by calling the toll free number. Appointments to install the new water meter will be conducted during business hours, evenings and Saturday mornings. While the installation occurs, someone 18 years old or older is required to be home. Mercado said the uniformed technicians will arrive within two hours of the scheduled appointment time, driving a Detroit Water AMR marked utility vehicle with a photo identification card. “We have established the two-hour time window to make this as convenient as possible for our customers,” he said. “We’ve all spent hours waiting for utility installation or repair people to come to our house and we did not want to force our customers to undergo such a long wait.” Mercado said about 160,000 DWSD customers will receive new water meters. In addition, approximately 115,000 homes that have received new meters since 1996 will have those meters retrofitted as part of the Detroit Water AMR Program. The installation program will continue for three years until all 275,000 Detroit residences and 3,000 businesses served by DWSD are equipped with automated water meters. The installation of these new meters is required for all Detroit residences. “Water meters become outdated and should be replaced every 15 to 20 years,” Mercado said. “Most of the meters in Detroit homes are that old or older, so they are due for replacement. By adding the automated reading component, we are making it easier for both the customer and the department to read the meter and guarantee that each bill a customer receives reflects the actual amount of water they have used.” As each new meter is installed or retrofitted, it will be connected to a small transmitting device located outside each residence and business. The device will transmit an updated water meter reading up to six times a day through a neighborhood antenna to DWSD’s central office. Mercado said the program uses proven technology that has been implemented successfully in other cities such as Philadelphia and Washington DC. AMR technicians are local workers hired by Detroit Meter Partners, the company contracted by DWSD for the AMR installation program. For more information visit www.detroitwateramr.com or contact the Detroit Water AMR DWSD is a city department that provides water and sewerage service to the Detroit area. The third largest department in the country, DWSD provides water service to approximately one million people in Detroit and three million people in neighboring southeastern Michigan communities throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Lapeer, Genesee, Washtenaw and Monroe counties. The 1,215-square-mile water service area includes Detroit and 125 suburban communities while wastewater service covers a 946-square-mile area encompassing Detroit and 76 neighboring communities. |
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