Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority board members approved, as part of a five-year project outline, plans to replace a majority of existing customers’ water meters when meeting last Tuesday.
The approval of that project, planned to begin sometime in 2022, did not come without discussion concerning its $1.5 million price tag.
Water authority director Gary McVey told board chairman Mike Gibbs and members Billy Rowe, Hubert Parker, Don Callihan and Tony Whitaker that existing water meters used by the authority are failing at a very high rate, and an average of 40 of the Elster brand meters are being changed out per month.
“On top of that, the reading system we have is at the end of its life. They are not servicing the software system after December 2021,” he added.
McVey said water meters currently receive drive-by readings, which requires a person to do the reading. The new automated meters would not need drive-by readings, he noted.
“We looked at it both ways. What’s it going to cost us to buy the upgrades and stay with the drive-by system we’re on now, or we could go up to the next step and go with this automated meter system. The difference between the two was about half a million dollars. It’s going to cost us a million dollars if we stay with what we’ve got,” McVey said.
The Sensus iPerl automated meters are guaranteed for new meter accuracy up to 20 years, and the water authority is already using them to replace the failing meters, McVey said.
“The AMI system gives us more tools in our toolbox. The office would be able to access that reading any time. It also stores three years of data. We’ve got roughly a couple thousand in the ground. We’re looking at replacing the other 4,500,” he added.
The failing water meters typically err on the side of the customer, and some are now measuring at 98 percent accuracy, McVey noted.
“If the meters are at 98 percent now, they’re already almost below the standard. We’re going to have to ramp up our change-out because they’re losing us revenue,” Bonnie Broady Dalrymple, water authority controller, told board members.
Parker and Whitaker noted the high cost of the proposed meter replacement and asked McVey if there are any less costly options for the change-out.
“That’s almost half of our project (budget) for 2021-2022. That’s a heck of a number,” Parker said.
“I think we should look at every avenue we can on this. I see where you’re coming from. It costs time and money to change 40 meters a month, (but this) is a lot of money,” added Whitaker.
Board members also noted that this was the first they’d heard about the need for a large-scale meter change-out.
“I didn’t see this coming,” said Whitaker.
McVey said that’s because the current meters are failing at a more rapid rate, and the authority only recently learned that support would not be offered for its current meter software system past this year.
Parker said he’d prefer the funds go to projects that involve expanding the water system.
“I know this is a big-ticket item. I’m really not happy without pipe going in the ground somewhere, and I love expanding the system. But we’re going to have to concentrate some on rehab in the next little bit,” McVey said. “We’re just like everybody else. Our infrastructure is aging.”
Gibbs noted that the water authority will most likely apply for another state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to continue expanding the water system in the Roundtop Road area, which will be a big project. He also noted that Blue Ridge has made the transition to automated water meters.
“The mayor (of Blue Ridge) said it’s been a big pill to swallow, but has been effective for her. She had the same problem with the Elster meters, and they had to change out every one of theirs,” Gibbs added.
McVey said automated meters are the direction in which many water departments are moving.
“There’s only about three brands of meters you’re going to want. Sensus is considered top of the line as far as accuracy and staying on the cutting edge of technology,” he added.
After discussing it in a workshop, board members approved the $1.5 million change-out as part of the proposed five-year project plan in a meeting that followed. The entire five-year plan was approved as presented.
McVey said the change-out work will be done in-house.
“Our plan would be for the guys to roll out of the CDBG and roll right into this. We’ll have to be running a dual system for a while,” he noted.
Other proposed projects in the five-year plan include new pipe installation from Howard Simmons Road to Highway 382 and replacing aging asbestos cement pipe along South Main Street for 2021-2022, extension of water line in the Roundtop area to the Pickens County line in 2022-2023 and rehab of the Coosawattee River Resort water system for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.