1. Temporary Construction Meters
A Case Study

2. Overview Introduction. Temporary Construction Meter.
The way previously managed.
The struggles we faced.
Timing is everything.
Improvements we made.
Moving forward

3. Helix Water District
Special District operates water systems for four cities and some unincorporated areas of San Diego County.
Approx. 50 sq. miles located in Southern California.
56,000 metered connections. Primarily direct read.
500 AMR meters in hard to reach areas.
273,000 People.
700 miles of pipeline.
60 Temporary Construction Meters.

4. What is a Temporary Construction Meter ?
A meter that is temporarily installed on a fire hydrant, intended for the use in building and general construction, often containing a backflow device and shutoff valve.

5. Our old system Contractors order a meter to fit their needs.
Pay a deposit based on the size of the meter.
Contractors could move meters from hydrant to hydrant.
Read and bill monthly.

6. The problems we faced Finding the meters to read.
Incorrectly sized meter.
The backflow device leaks and are untested.
Not enough flow to adequately flush our mains.

7. Timing is everything
HWD was right in the middle of a Cost of Service study.
Formed a group of HWD employees to rethink the way we handle temporary construction meters.
Revamped our policy on temporary construction Meters.
Tested new devices and technology.

8. The new and improved Problem Solution
Two different sized meter with different fees.
Unable to reach adequate flow rates for main line flushing.
Difficult to obtain reads from “floating” meters.
Backflow devices leak and are untested.
Difficult to quickly read.
Standardize with one sized meter and same fees.
Upgraded meter and backflow device to maintain high flow rates.
Collect all “floating” meters. Only district staff allowed to relocate.
Enter a contract to test and maintain backflow devices.
Utilized Cellular AMI to read and monitor data.

9. Our Temporary Construction Meter.

10. Moving forward Research GPS to identify locations of meters.
Find solution to load counting of local street sweeping and sewer rod trucks

11. Questions ?