The project allows Miamisburg to transition to monthly billing and provide information like real-time data, leak detection and critical alerts, according to Miamisburg Public Works Director Valerie Griffin.
“Some of the research that led to the development of this project, we have been hearing from a lot of folks, residents, businesses, that they would like to have more control over their usage, be able to monitor their water consumption so they don’t get surprise high bills and things like that,” Griffin told Miamisburg City Council during its most recent meeting. “People would like to transition away from quarterly billing to monthly billing just because it’s easier for most households to manage that way.”
After hearing those concerns, the city initiated a pilot program with Ferguson Waterworks and Master Meter, employing new meters integrating Harmony meter-reading software with the city’s existing billing platform. The success of the pilot program led to the development of a city-wide project using similar Advanced Metering Infrastructure technology to fully upgrade the utility metering system.
Under an AMI, advanced water meters transmit hourly water use data over a wireless network, with customers able to access data from a web portal while city staff can access data and more detailed reports about water use in the city. Benefits of a full AMI system include:
- reducing the need for staff to enter private property for data collection;
- ability to transmit multiple readings daily from every meter versus two per month with Automated Meter Reading (AMR);
- less fuel consumption and vehicle mileage versus AMR;
- early detection of abnormal water usage;
- better utilization of labor resources for troubleshooting and repairs to the distribution system;
- real-time water usage data available to residents and businesses.
“Being able to track it monthly, for some citizens, is going to be super valuable,” Mayor Michelle Collins said during Miamisburg City Council’s April 19 meeting.
City council voted unanimously to approve the project to be installed for slightly less than $4 million by Virginia-based Ferguson Waterworks. The company, which has a Dayton-area location, successfully completed similar projects in the area, and recently entered into a contract with the city of Fairfield in Butler County for a project “almost identical” to Miamisburg’s, Griffin said.
The project will be financed over a period of 10 to 15 years and paid through the city’s Water Capital fund, city officials said. The meters will be installed without any additional rate increase, officials said.
The projected timeline for construction and software integration is one year and would start as soon as June, Griffin said.
It will allow the city to finance new meters that are under warranty by saving it money in a variety of ways, including reducing water usage for the city, eliminating the cost of employees having to go out and read meters and doing away with the process of replacing outdated, failing meters every year, she said.
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