Gone are the days of coming home to a card in your door after missing the water meter reader.
For almost all of Orion Township’s 3,200 water customers, a new meter reading system will mean convenience for all involved.
‘The process has been relatively smooth,? Department of Public Works Director Bill Ireland said of installing the new system.
The DPW started the task five years ago, choosing to take on the issue of installing an updated system themselves. Many other communities opt, instead, to contract the job out to specialized firms.
‘We had the manpower and the resources and we felt it would offer a more personal touch if we did it ourselves,? Ireland said.
Ireland added it made sense economically to handle it all in-house, and now they’re ahead of the game.
‘At some point in the future, I’m sure everybody will be on an automatic reading system,? he said, noting the majority of communities are still on the older system.
The newer system uses a hand-held reading device which picks up information from a radio frequency, and each account (or home) has its own.
Ireland said a worker can get all the information they need just by driving down the street at about 10-15 miles per hour.
‘It’s not totally flawless,? he said. ‘But we haven’t run into any unexpected problems.?
After five years, there aren’t very many homes in the township left to update.
‘There are 33 people left,? Ireland said. ‘I don’t think it will be too much of a hassle.?
He anticipates the remaining homes will be completed by the end of the summer, adding it’s just a matter of contacting those particular residents and scheduling a convenient time to stop by.
‘It allows us to read all of the township meters in one day,? Ireland noted of the system. ‘It’s a process that used to take a week or more when we had to go up to each individual home.?
‘It’s a little safer for our readers, too,? he added.
Among other things, employees no longer have to deal with rowdy pets or unshoveled walkways. Plus, residents don’t have to be home or allow a stranger into their homes for the new system to work.
With the time savings, Ireland said his staff is able to take on more ‘preventative maintenance? than they have done in the past.