1. Scott J. Smith, P.E. Director of Public Works
Water Meter History & Analysis & FUTURE BUDGET CCONSIDERATIONS Board of Aldermen Meeting April 25, 2012
Scott J. Smith, P.E Director of Public Works

2. Water Meter History
Extensive meetings were held with 5 different meter providers. Badger Meter Company was determined to be the best choice for the City.
City policy evolved to install 2 meters per meter box in order to reduce costs to the City, customer, contractor and developer.
City policy evolved further to require a 1’’ service tap (instead of ¾’’), one continuous piece of copper pipe with 2’’ PVC casing at street crossing. Policy developed requiring water meters and supplies installed in new construction to be purchased from City to promote uniformity in the water system. This program generates revenue for the City while reducing costs to developers and contractors.
Meter change-out program was implemented to remove approximately 900 old meters over next 3 years and replace with the Model 15 Badger Meters.

3. Water Meter History Cont’d
Water meter repair and replacement program was developed in accordance with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) guidelines.
Model 15 Badger Meter (all plastic) was replaced with the brass-bottomed Model 25 to accommodate increased volumes through the meters and reduce costs to rebuilding program.
Quarterly meter readings were increased to monthly.
A hand held computerized MC 5 Meter Reading Book was purchased, allowing readings to be downloaded directly to billing system.
Radio Read Meter System (Trace) was implemented, upgrading all existing water meters to radio read over the next 5 year period.
This allowed for 1 meter reader to use a computer to read up 30,000 meters a month accommodating for future growth of the water meter system.
1989
1991
1995
1997

5. Water Meter History Cont’d
Larger homes and residential irrigation systems prompted an upgrade from the Model 25 ( ½’’ copper setter with 5/8’’ meter) to the Model 35 (¾’’ copper setter with ¾’’) The Mini-Mobile Interrogator (MMI) was purchased to read meters from City vehicles. Conversion of Orion transducers started due to discontinuation of the Trace version of transducers. City stopped rebuilding Trace Model 25’s and began replacing with Orion Model 35, providing better service and longer warrantees. Large water meter change-out program modified from every 3 years to every 5 years due to reliability of newer version of Badger meters. Cost savings are demonstrated with Water Loss History.

7. Key Points
Revenue collected from the sales of water meters and supplies produces enough funding to cover the cost of one meter reader.
Accurate water reading is critical in establishing both water and sewer billing rates and collections of the revenue for both divisions.
Manually reading the current water meters would cost an additional $165,000/year in personnel and vehicles.
Changing the current system to a competing radio read company would cost approximately $2.3 million for meters and transponders not including labor for the change out process or reading equipment.
Changing to a new meter setup would require a 15% increase in the annual budget based on the cost of using the second lowest bidder.

8. 2012 Damaged Transponder Costs
Only a portion of the costs incurred by a damaged transponder are billed to the water customer’s utility account. A portion of the actual necessary expenditures are still absorbed by the Water Division’s operating budget. The information below breaks down the costs for replacing a water meter transponder. Billed to Customer Utility Account Transponder part replacement $ ½ hour operator billable rate labor $10.16 ½ hour billable truck rate $15.00 Total $ Not Billed to Utility Account Recessed Ford meter box lid $ hour labor (Operator) billable rate adjust meter box grade $20.32 ½ hour operator labor for meter re-read $10.16 ½ hour truck billable rate for meter re-read $15.00 Total $84.76 Total cost for replacement of a damaged transponder is approximately $

9. 2012 Transponder Report
100% of all water meters within the City of Wentzville’s water meter system contain a radio transponder that allows staff to read the 10,577 meters in less than five working days. These transponders are the transmitting point for the meter reading computer to pick up the signal in order to receive the water meter reading.
Annually less than 25 of these meter transponders are accidently destroyed. 99% of the cases a meter transponder is damaged by lawn mowing equipment. This equates to less than .0025% of transponders in the system get damaged annually.
The costs incurred by damaged water meter transponders prior to 2008 were absorbed by the City of Wentzville’s Water Division budget. Attempts to recuperate the costs for damaged transponders in this period were made only for the most blatant and repeated damages.
For the past two decades meter boxes are placed to share between neighbors to lower the costs per home. They are installed on the 10’ easement between properties within 5’ on either side of the property line and within 10 feet of the water main.

10. Transponder Report Cont’d
Damage History
2008: eight properties were assessed damages for repeat damaged transponders.
2009: one property was assessed for damages before assessments were put on hold pending a policy review and new ordinance approval.
2010: twenty five properties were assessed for damaged transponders. These addresses were retrofitted with the recessed meter lids at no additional costs to the customer.
2011: twenty two properties were assessed for damaged transponders. These addresses were also retrofitted with the recessed meter lids at no additional costs to the customer.
2012: no damaged transponders have been discovered at this time.

11. Transponder Report Cont’d
Ordinance Update
In 2010 The City of Wentzville Board of Aldermen determined that: “a need exists to deter damages and prevent the tampering with any structure, appurtenance or equipment of the City’s water distribution systems”.
Section 705:115 Tampering with City Utilities was signed into effect on June 23, Stating in part: No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willing fully or negligently break damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance or equipment that is part of the water works.
The revised ordinance allowed for assessment of damages and the meter transponder damage invoicing resumed. Stronger record keeping procedure was also established with damaged transponders being photographed before repairs are completed and damaged parts are tagged, stored, and available for inspection until assessed damages are paid in full.
Notification to use caution around water meter boxes is posted on the City Web Site and is included each spring edition of the Vision Newsletter.

12. New Meter Lids
In early 2009 the City’s Water Division contacted the supplier of the water meter lids and requested that they review and improve the current meter box lids to meet the City’s requirements to help reduce the damages caused to the transponders being ¼” higher than the lid itself.
The supplier HD Waterworks Supply (O’Fallon MO) and Ford Meter Box Co. Inc. (Wabash IN) developed a new meter box lid featuring a recessed transponder housings.
This new meter lid designed specifically for the City of Wentzville was developed and produced for no additional cost. It became available in 2010 and has been issued and installed with great success.

13. Options for the Future Policy
Option #1: the City replace the damaged transponders and absorb the cost into the Water Division’s operating budget. This was the policy prior to 2008.
Option #2: Continue to follow the current policy with the reduced cost the City currently charges. This policy was started in 2008 and the Ordinance was approved in 2010 to collect damages.
Option #3: Continue to follow the current policy with the reduced cost the City currently charges, however, pro-rate the water meter transponder replacement costs in relation to the age of the existing water meter transponder.

14. Pre 2010 Water Meter Lid

15. Damaged Transponder

16. Pre and Post 2010 Water Meter Lid

17. Double Meter Alignment

18. Double Meter - Open Lid

19. Post 2010 Water Meter Double Lid

20. Double Water Meter Lid 126 Timber Trace Crossing

21. Gary Miller & Wendy Dalton
A Special Thank you to:
Gary Miller &
Wendy Dalton
Questions / Comments

22. Public Works Department
Water Meter History & Analysis
Questions / Comments