Politics & Government
Water-Meter Maker Will Replace 47,500 In DeKalb
The county, where residents have complained of out-of-control water bills, signed an agreement to replace the meters in the next two years.
DECATUR, GA — The manufacturer of water meters used in DeKalb County will be replacing 47,500 of them after a settlement county leaders hope will help residents who had experienced wildly out-of-control water bills.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners announced Tuesday that a legal settlement has been reached with Kendall Supply Inc. and Sensus USA Inc. over provisions from the county's warranty with the companies.
The value of the equipment and services the companies will provide is more than $8.6 million, the county said.
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"I would like to acknowledge the new executive leadership team at Sensus for engaging in good faith negotiations," said DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond in a news release. "The removal of all water meters with an increased propensity for malfunctioning will help restore public trust and significantly improve customer service."
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The companies will replace 47,500 iPerl water meters and install 30,000 radio devices that transmit real-time customer water-consumption data, the county said. They also will reprogram 17,500 previously installed radio transmitters.
Between 2011 and 2015, the DeKalb Department of Watershed Management purchased and installed about 50,000 iPerl water meters. The county believes these meters contained a manufacturing defect. All iPerl meters installed during that four-year span will be replaced with new Accustream water meters, the county said.
Officials say the new radio transmitters will record more accurate billing data by eliminating the need for manual meter readings. Before signing the agreement, the county hired an independent engineering expert to validate the performance of the new meters.
Since January, DeKalb already has installed or replaced more than 12,000 new meters. In all, it plans to replace about 102,000 meters that have outlived their usefulness.
Photo via Shutterstock
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