H2O meters causing residents anguish
EL CENTRO — Residents here are showing frustration at newly installed water meters, stating the meters are malfunctioning and causing water bills to spike.
Nevertheless, city staffers are saying the new water meters are working properly, and it was the previously meters that were malfunctioning.
Recently, the city of El Centro replaced more than 9,000 water meters. The hightech meters will allow residents to check their consumption real-time once the functionality becomes available within the next six to 12 months, said El Centro Deputy City Engineer Abraham Campos.
On social media, several residents have been stating their bill jumped from about $120 to nearly $300 since the new meters were installed.
During a regular council meeting Tuesday, resident Cheryl Von Flue told council members her bill increased by about $60.
Campos attempted to explain the cause of the spike, saying the majority of the meters were between 10 to 25 years old.
“As meters age, the mechanism in the meter runs slower, thus registering less consumption,” he said.
He added the new water meters are calibrated and tested in the factory before being shipped.
“The American Water Works Association requires meters to be within 98.5 and 101.5 percent accuracy to be usable,” Campos said.
He also said the spike in water bill could be caused by using high-consuming water fixtures like toilets, faucets and shower heads.
“Upgrading fixtures will reduce consumption,” he said. “A leaky toilet can waste about 6,000 gallons of water a month. The city charges $3.75 per 1,000 gallons. That equates to $22.50 extra a month for a single, leaky toilet that is usually fixed with a $3 flapper valve.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, city staff admitted it expected about a seven percent increase in city-accounted water at a citywide level.“However, some of the increase could be attributed to the new meter accuracy and some to the lifting of drought reduced consumption requirements,” Campos
said. “Customers with newer meters should not see a major difference; however, customers with old meters may see an increase in consumption reading as the new meters register what the old meters could no longer. It will vary on a case-by-case basis.”
He added it’s unlikely the new water meters are malfunctioning, but human error is possible during the imputing process of information at the time of meter replacement.
He said residents can call
760-337-4510 if they want to schedule a review of consumption.
“We have pictures of the meter dials of your old water meter at the moment the old meter was changed and can check that it matches
the bill for verification purposes,” he said.
He added the city will include more information regarding reducing water consumption in the next water bill and on its social media pages.