OK, maybe I’m going a bit overboard by having Paul Revere announce this, but we are pretty excited about the new water meter and remote-reading system project. As an Edina resident or property owner, you will hear a lot about this in the coming year.

First, let’s define with what we are dealing. The water meter in your home or business is the black plastic or bronze device located where the water service line enters the building. Attached to this meter body is a dial or “head” that records the amount of water (in cubic feet) that passes through the body. There is a wire from the head that conveys the dial reading to a gray box. The gray box contains a small circuit board, a battery and a radio transponder. When we need to get a meter read, our operator drives down the street in a van equipped with a picnic cooler-sized computer that interrogates (honestly, that’s the term the manufacturer uses) a small radio signal from the transponder. Each individual read is then recorded to a floppy disc (remember those?) that the City’s Utility Billing personnel downloads and generates your utility bill.

Why are we changing the meters and reading system? The plastic meters leak. The bronze meters will not be compliant with federal mandates as of January 2014. The batteries are dying. The computer and transponders are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The radio signal bandwidth will no longer be allowed by the FCC. Great Odin’s raven, it uses floppy discs! The system has performed admirably, but it is past its due date.

To what are we changing? No more plastic, all bronze meters meeting the NSF 61 standard. The batteries have twice the lifespan (20-year guarantee) and more strength. The computer is a laptop, and the software can be updated. The radio signal bandwidth is within acceptable FCC regulations and has improved transmission range. All data is saved to a thumb drive. With these improvements, we will cut our reading time from five to six days to one day.

The City has a little over 14,000 meters that will be changed in the next 16 months — an aggressive plan to be sure, but with your cooperation, a plan we are confident we can achieve.

It might not be a silversmith from Massachusetts, but you will hear from us soon. We thank you in advance for your prompt response!

5 Responses to New Water Meters Are Coming! New Water Meters Are Coming!

1. sol jacobs says:

   February 10, 2012 at 1:10 pm

   who is he manufacturer of the meters?
2. Kenneth Kjelland says:

   August 26, 2012 at 11:18 am

   I received a letter indicating I should contact Ferguson Waterworks to make an appointment to have my meter replaced. I tried to go to http://www.fergusonscheduling.com per the letter and was unable to find the firm’s web page on line. Is this url incorrect?

   Thank you for your time.
3. Jordan Gilgenbach says:

   August 27, 2012 at 9:47 am

   Hi Kenneth,
   Try the below link to schedule an appointment with Ferguson Waterworks for Edina’s water meter replacement. The link takes you directly to the form for Edina. If you have additional questions, call Edina’s Public Works Department at 952-826-0376. http://app.fergusonscheduling.com/ProjectManager/fsappointments/findaddress.aspx?id=69
4. Robert Teese says:

   September 5, 2012 at 11:07 am

   Need to schedule water meter replacement at
   6304 Red Fox Lane
   Edina MN 55436
5. Jim Sandusky says:

   November 8, 2012 at 5:10 pm

   i WILL BE HERE ON mONDAY12TH OF nOVEMBER AT 10:00AM FOR SOMEONE TO BE HERE tHANKS jIM sANDUSKY