Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) is delivering a renewal of its existing water meter fleet across the Dubbo Regional Local Government Area (LGA).This whole-of-LGA water meter upgrade program will ensure that Council can continue to provide all residential and commercial properties, connected to town water, with a safe, reliable and cost-effective drinking water supply.
Chief Executive Officer Michael McMahon said Council is taking this opportunity to replace its ageing water meter infrastructure with new smart water meter technology.
“There are many benefits of smart water meter technology including early detection of leaks, it allows property owners to monitor their water usage via an online portal or smart device, and provides data and information to manage water usage. The added benefits to Council means the technology can also assist our customer experience staff to respond more effectively to usage enquiries, and reduces non-revenue water by identifying losses in the system,” Mr McMahon said.
The rollout will commence 1 June 2020 in the central Dubbo area (Zone 1). The full rollout is expected to take 12 months.
Council will replace old water meters with new smart water meters to approximately 17,700 residential properties. Approximately 2,300 commercial properties will undergo a full replacement or have a smart device attached to the existing water meter.
DRC’s Director of Infrastructure, Julian Geddes said property owners will be advised when the contractors arrive to upgrade their meters.
“Contractors will approach the occupant of the property to advise of a small disruption to the water supply during the installation process. In the event the property is unoccupied, a flyer will be left in the mail box or by the front door advising occupants of the installation,” Mr Geddes said.
“We will be launching the ‘My DRC Water’ online customer portal, providing property owners connected to town water supply the tools to monitor and manage their water consumption, something property owners will be able to easily and conveniently do at the completion of their zone.”
In order to effectively rollout relevant communication and the integral customer portal, the installation program has been divided into 5 zones.
Source: DRC