Marion replacing aging meters
Staff writer
Marion is replacing nearly all of its water meters.
Most of the city’s roughly 900 to 1,000 meters are 13 to 14 years old and have reached the end of their life expectancy, city administrator Brian Wells said.
The company that manufactured the meters no longer is in business, leaving the city unable to repair malfunctioning units, Wells said.
“Many of them are not functioning,” Wells said. “We’re not able to repair them.”
The project is being paid for through $985,000 in general obligation bonds approved by the city council June 2 as part of a broader public works improvement plan that also includes street work.
The city hired Ditch Diggers Inc. to complete the work rather than relying on city crews.
“If we were to do the meters, we would be off of doing anything else,” Wells said.
Ditch Diggers has been installing close to 100 meters per day.
At that pace, the project could be completed in as little as 30 days if weather allows, Wells said.
The city initially did not expect the work to be completed until September.
Crews began work last week and had completed roughly one-third of the installations within the first week.
The new meters will be paired with updated software intended to improve efficiency in reading and billing.
Residents may notice changes in their water bills once the meters are installed.
Wells said previous readings may have underestimated usage in some cases.
“With the corrected meters, it’ll get an accurate counting of the water being used,” Wells said.
The city does not plan to retroactively bill residents for past discrepancies.
Installations typically require only brief service interruptions of 10 to 15 minutes, though some locations may take longer depending on site conditions.
Crews have been told to notify residents as they move through neighborhoods.
The contractor has worked with the city before, Wells said, previously completing water system work under budget.
The project is expected to continue for a few more weeks.