FORT SMITH, Ark. — On Tuesday, the Fort Smith Board of Directors moved forward with plans for a comprehensive study of the city’s water meters.
The water study will cost the city around $34,000 and will be conducted by Trane Technologies.
Fort Smith Water Utilities Director Lance McAvoy said that hundreds of meters in the city will be tested.
“Normally, meters lose accuracy over time, and it always goes low,” McAvoy said. “Very seldom does it fail high. So as these meters age, they are registering less water than what's actually going through them. This is to determine how much water loss or unaccounted for water we are seeing due to the meters.”
McAvoy said this is the first step in seeing if it makes economic sense for the city to transition to a more modern water infrastructure.
He added there are ongoing conversations regarding whether or not the city should replace their current meters with an Advanced Meter Infrastructure, or AMI.
"AMI allows the meter to talk with the cloud, the cloud to talk with the city and the citizens so they can see how much water they're using on a day-to-day basis,” McAvoy said. “It's also used for billing, and this is a very modern way of doing it. It allows us to be proactive when there's issues with leaks and things of that nature"
McAvoy said that transitioning to AMI would also give the city more accurate results on peak hours and day usage to figure out when the water pumps are being run the most, future demand needed by the city, and understanding water rates as well.
McAvoy added that switching to AMI may have a direct impact on water rates for some residents, if the city decides to move forward with such a project in the future.
“Those that have meters that are under reading, they will see a potential increase in their bill,” McAvoy said. “Because if, again, they're using 10 gallons and [the meter is] only reading seven and a half. Well, now when the new meter goes in, you'll be billed for that full 10 gallons.”
Although a total replacement could eventually cost millions of dollars, McAvoy said the city’s water infrastructure needs to keep up with the growth the city is seeing.
“We're looking at using better technology that's more accurate, that lasts longer, and gives better results,” McAvoy said.
McAvoy said results are estimated to come in sometime in the second quarter of 2025.
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