Alpena Township considering new water meters
Trending
ALPENA -- Residents in Alpena Township who utilize the municipal water system may get new high-tech water meters late next year or early in 2023.
The township is seeking an approximately $1.2 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to replace as many as 2,726 meters the township claims may not be recording water usage accurately.
In a copy of the funding application, the township claims many of the current meters likely record water consumption on the low end, which results in a loss of revenue for the township. The new meters would be more accurate, and be able to be read remotely, instead of having to have a service employee visit a customer's home to document usage as is done now.
"The existing water meters are old and in need of replacement," it states in the application. "The accuracy of the meters are suspect and when water meters wear, they typically read low, meaning lost revenue for the township."
People who have meters that read on the low side would likely face larger water bills if the new meters are installed.
The township said its operation and maintenance costs would likely drop, and the billing process would also be simpler and more efficient, which will also help save money.
A timeline on the application says the township expects to have a decision on the funding in February, and design and bidding for the project would commence in July. The loan and the award of the work to a contractor could come in September, and the new meters installed beginning in October and possibly wrap up in May of 2023.
In 2012 the City of Alpena swapped out meters and transitioned to a more data transmission system that allows meter reading to be done from the office and make the billing process more efficient.
Only a couple years after that the city and township began litigation with one another over water rates, with the township believing it should pay a lower wholesale rate because of the volume of water it purchases, which the city said it should pay the same as other customers.
A deal has not been reached between the two parties, but they are exploring forming a water authority, which is essentially a separate governing board that oversees infrastructure or services in multiple communities.
There is no mention of a water authority in the application.
Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe said there is no correlation between the possible installation of new meters and the bargaining with Alpena, but added that if the two water systems resembled each other more, it would help.
"It would make it easier," Skibbe said. "But this is something we have wanted to do internally for some time."