The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners approved a new program Thursday awarding the first 100 Long Beach residents that sign up to receive a free smart-water-meter installation. Smart meters help customers track their daily water consumption through a secure website, according to the Long Beach Water Department.
“As California enters its fourth year of drought, Long Beach is experimenting with new technology to help secure our water supply,” said Harry Saltzgaver, president of the Board of Water Commissioners. “This cutting-edge technology can give customers the ability to understand their water use in hopes they will find new ways to conserve water.”
The smart meter register is installed over a residence’s existing water meter and collects water consumption data in five-minute increments. The information is downloaded to a website to which each resident will be given private access to view their daily water use.
The smart meters can help customers identify high spikes of water use or a possible leak, according to the water department. The smart meters can also be installed on existing meters on households and businesses that have received multiple water-violation letters from the water department.
“The smart meters will not only help our customers understand their own water consumption better, but they can also help us investigate water violations that have been brought to our attention,” said Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “The new meters will assist Long Beach with our conservation efforts by helping us recognize water waste throughout the city. This technology is a cost-effective way to help us identify the water violations and predict when they will most likely occur.”
The introduction of smart meters in Long Beach comes as Sierra Nevada snowpack levels reach historic lows and overall statewide water consumption has not reached Gov. Brown’s 20-percent reduction goal, according to the water department.
Residents interested in receiving a smart meter can read the terms and conditions and sign up online at lbwater.org/smart-meter-program . Meters are being given on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 100 customers who sign up with a valid email address.
Source: LB Water Dept.
