Marlborough: Your Water Meters Are Being Replaced

MARLBOROUGH, MA -- Marlborough is replacing water meters for residential and small business customers during the next several years, the city announced recently.

The Marlborough Water Division owns the meters and electronic reading devices but must ask property owners to allow entry to each property to replace the meter.

Water meters mechanically measure the water after it enters your property and the water moves through the device. The meter is usually located where the water service connects to a building, usually in the basement on the wall closest to the street. An automated meter reading device, or AMR, is connected to the meter. The AMR is a radio transmitter powered by a battery. As the meter reading truck passes by the building on the street, a data-collecting device records the meter reading transmitted from the AMR.

The current meters and electronic reading devices were installed many years ago and need to be read manually, said the announcement.

“The project will benefit single family homes, dwellings and small businesses in Marlborough.”

A meter service technician will visit your property to remove the water utility’s old meter and replace it along with the AMR device.

First, the Marlborough Water Division will notify customers with a letter.

The technicians, too, may call on a property without an appointment as they make replacements in a particular area. Meters will be installed by Marlborough Water Division employees. Our employees will arrive in a City of Marlborough identified vehicle and carry Marlborough Water Division identification.

“Our meter technicians wear clothing clearly marked with the City of Marlborough logo visible on the front,” said the official city announcement. “If you have any doubt about the identity of a person asking to enter your property, please ask the technician to show you their City of Marlborough identification badge. If they refuse, do not allow the person into your property.”

The installation takes just less than an hour as the meter technician temporarily turns off the water, installs the new meter and electronic reading device, and turns the water back on.

The automated meter reading devices provide these benefits:

• AMR eliminates, with rare exceptions, the need to estimate a bill.
• Reliable readings gained with AMR help customers identify plumbing leaks that result in higher-than-normal bills.
• AMR eliminates the need for a water meter reader to visit the home, once the meter and radio have been installed.
• There is no charge for the meter.