Every water meter in Pleasanton is due to be replaced over the coming months, and residents will get a knock on the door, not an appointment, when their turn comes.
The city says its Water Meter Replacement Project begins this month and covers more than 22,000 meters at homes and businesses across its service area. The work is expected to cost about $12 million and is paid for through the water enterprise fund, including water revenue bond proceeds, according to the city's project page.
The Pleasanton Weekly reported Thursday that the city also counts revenue from recent water rate increases toward the cost.
Why the meters are going
City staff have described the current meters and the automated reading network behind them as failing on a wide scale. In a report prepared for the council's June 16 meeting, staff wrote that the failures had led to billing inaccuracies, more water loss, heavier maintenance and rising operating costs, the Weekly reported, and Public Works crews had already replaced about 4,000 meters on their own.
The new meters measure flow ultrasonically instead of with moving internal parts, which the city says should mean less upkeep and a longer service life. They still feed the city's automated metering system and log usage through the day, so customers can keep watching their water use and getting leak alerts through the MyWater Pleasanton app and online portal.
What customers should expect
Concord Utility Services will do the installations, according to the city, and the Weekly reported that Core & Main LP is also part of the work. Crews will start in south Pleasanton and work through zones on a city map, though meters that have stopped registering will be moved to the front of the line.
The Weekly noted one wrinkle: the city's announcement says installations begin this month, while the timeline map on its website shows work starting in December.
