Published: Thursday, July 28, 2011

By MATT DECEMBER

Advisors & Source News Papers

Washignton Township officials approved spending more than $700,000 to replace the township's wireless water meter reading system during the July 20 meeting.

The new system, which includes transmitters, data collectors and central computer components, will be purchased and installed in the coming months by SLC Meter Service to replace the current units that have started to fail according to township officials.

The board approved the purchase on a 7-0 vote.

Supervisor Dan O'Leary said approximately 1,000 of the current meter transmitting devices have begun to fail with more failures likely.

"Those signals don't work on 1,000 units, and to read them is time-consuming and costly, and they are failing at such a rate that eventually almost 6,000 of them will fail and we will be reading meters like it is 1950 again," said O'Leary. "Not good for the customer, not good for us from a cost standpoint."

Clerk Kathy Bosheers, who handled the bid process for the new system, said the automated meter reading system allows the township to better monitor the water that is coming into the township from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and what is being used by residents.

"We will be able to understand if we have leaks and leak detection sooner. We will also be able to also improve our overall billing system," said Bosheers

Bosheers said the eventual goal is to allow people to have a budget plan, monthly bills and the ability to monitor their bills online.

Bosheers added that the system provides a measure of safety as well.

"We won't have to come to your home and knock on your door to read your meter, so you won't have to worry about it and we won't have to send an employee out to do that," she said, adding that the system uses low-frequency radio waves to transmit and collect the data.

O'Leary said payback for the system would occur in less than a decade just counting the savings on meter reading.

"This is something we strongly recommend," he said.

..............O'Leary said, " the township was accepting the right company and product by going with SLC Meter Service".

"History and experience was one of the criteria, and frankly our history and experience with Datamatic has been appalling," he said.

Datamatic is the company that provided the current generation of meter reading equipment.

The system installation will begin in the coming months and township officials said it will be completed before the end of November.

For more information about the water meter reading system or the installation process, call 786-0010, Ext. 5