MOUNT VERNON — The implementation of a new meter reading system by the county water/wastewater department is on track according to superintendent Jason Figgins. Figgins made his monthly report to the Knox County Board of Commissioners on Thursday morning and touched on this and several other topics.
The county is implementing a system and the attendant software to remotely read water meters in its service areas.
The system would not just read the meters for billing purposes but would do it on an hourly basis to track water main and service line breaks, leaks and other problems.
“It’s a radio, telemetry auto-read system that will read every meter in our system every hour,” Figgins said. “We are transitioning from a touch-read system where someone has to go out personally and touch the reader to the meter to get the reading.”
Commissioner Allen Stockberger explained the system had several advantages. One would be that the system would monitor the status of any meter while the customer was away for extended periods of time.
“For those folks who go to Florida or elsewhere in the winter and the home’s water pipes freeze, thaw and they have water gushing into the house, the meter will sound an alarm and warn the department of the problem,” he explained. “That way they won’t come home to a house full of water.”
“And it helps us track our losses,” Figgins added. “And we can use it for leak detection in our mains and things like that.”
