Burr Ridge 'Friction Point' Goes Away: Mayor

BURR RIDGE, IL – New technology in reading water meters in Burr Ridge means a "friction point" between residents and the village goes away, an official says.

Earlier this month, the Burr Ridge Village Board voted to spend nearly $200,000 on a new system that will monitor residents' water use at all times.

About a decade ago, Burr Ridge, like many towns, enjoyed big savings when it started using remote technology to end the practice of walking up to meters. The new technology required a village employee to drive by and use a device to pick up meters' signals.

Now, the village plans to hire Core & Main, a St. Charles firm, to install an antenna on a village water tower. This will pick up information from meters throughout the village.

According to the village, this will save several working days of driving around and remotely reading meters.

Under the new system, the village will be able to quickly learn of leaks and other data anomalies, officials said.

At a Village Board meeting, Mayor Gary Grasso said this would help a lot. He said he and others get calls from residents when their water bills multiply because of leaky toilets.

This is especially a severe problem when residents leave for warmer climates during the winter, Grasso said.

"We have to negotiate with our residents because they feel as if it's not their fault, and at the same time, it's not our fault either," Grasso said. "This will take another friction point between government and the resident away. The transparency of all that is really important."