Mesquite, TX – November 19, 2020 – From Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, the City of Mesquite will be working with Ameresco, Inc. to test randomly selected residential and commercial water meters throughout the city. This is the first step the City is taking as it considers replacing its current analog meters with an advanced digital system to read water utility meters. The public can visit www.cityofmesquite.com/MeterProject for details on the program.
Mark Kerby, the City’s Special Projects Director, said, “This is part of a multi-year Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. We have randomly chosen 68 residential and commercial water meters of our more than 41,000 water accounts to remove and test. This initial testing will allow the City to evaluate the feasibility to upgrade its current water metering system to a more advanced digital system. Once the evaluation is completed, City staff will provide an update to the City Council on the costs to implement and operate the proposed digital system.”
Kerby shared the AMI system can continuously read water meters allowing for more accurate utility billing for customers and greater efficiencies for the City. He added it also gives water utility customers access to an online platform to monitor their water usage and make adjustments as needed. Currently, all of Mesquite’s water meters are read manually by City employees assigned to record consumption of residential and commercial water meters.
Ameresco’s crews will be properly identified by company insignia on their vehicles and uniforms. Ameresco employees will not have to enter homes or businesses, as all meter work will be conducted outside and will take less than 30 minutes. Each randomly selected residential customer will receive a door hanger informing them that their water meter has been replaced and a phone number to call if they have any questions.
Kerby said, “City utility crews will coordinate with the randomly selected businesses to ensure there is limited water service interruptions during this process. We want to make sure we continue to provide quality customer service during this entire process.”