Alex Hazenack with Corix Water Products announced a new program with the City of Prince Albert to replace all water meters in the city. (Charlene Tebbutt/paNOW Staff)

By Charlene Tebbutt

City announces mandatory water meter replacement plan

Mar 27, 2019 | 2:37 PM

The City of Prince Albert is rolling out a new, mandatory water meter replacement program it says will be more efficient and easier to use for local residents and businesses.

The city contracted Corix Water Products to supply and install new water meters in every location connected to city water, including residential homes, businesses, public and health facilities and those in the nearby area on the rural water authority. Work will begin in April, with more than 11,200 meters set to be replaced across the city over the next 10 to 11 months.

The city budgeted $4.4 million for the replacement project. There is no cost to residents to replace the meters, unless the valves are broken, in which case, the city will subsidize the replacement costs, leaving residents to pay about $100 of the $300 total cost.

Mayor Greg Dionne said the new system will be user friendly and will give residents a better measure of water usage, noting some of the city’s current meters date back to 1953. The new meters will allow users to monitor daily water usage from their phones or computers, check for leaks and set their meters for vacation absences.

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The city will be able to monitor usage on a daily basis as well. Dionne said the new system will also pave the way for the city to implement monthly water billing, an issue city councillors have debated in the past.

“This is the biggest step to monthly billing,” Dionne said Wednesday. “You do it monthly. It’s easier to track, it’s easier to plan for, it’s easier to pay.”

Alex Hazenack, water utility services manager with Corix Water Products, which is handling the replacements, said the project will save time and costs for both users and the city. The company will be installing Badger brand of meters in Prince Albert, and have worked in several Saskatchewan communities, including Weyburn and Cupar, and in British Columbia.

Users can check their bills and monitor consumption online using their phones or computers, or access a pdf download of their consumption, he added.

“People will still get their bills the regular way, that won’t change, but they’ll have more information now,” Hazenack said.

The city is working with a contractor to install Badger brand of water meters in all locations in Prince Albert. (Charlene Tebbutt/paNOW Staff)

Dionne said the city is aware there are some locations that are bypassing the water system already, and said that won’t be allowed to happen going forward.

“We know there’s people out there with bypass valved,” he said. “That is theft and we intend to deal with that part as well, and in the future, this [replacements] will also tell us if anyone has tampered with our system as well.”

Users are encouraged to book an appointment to have their meters replaced by calling or going online. Everyone must sign on to have their meter replaced, or their water service will be turned off, the city said.

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt