By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Work is underway on the installation of automated meter reading for
Great Bend’s water meters. Zenner USA has started drilling holes in the meter
lids to install antennas for the Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI).
The $2.46 million project will provide technology to more accurately read
meters and avoid the high turnover rate with staff assigned to reading the meters.
Great Bend City Council member Alan Moeder, a plumber by profession, asked City
Administrator Kendal Francis how this would affect anyone needing to access the
meters.
"We shut meters off all the time," said Moeder. "Does that lid have to be put in the exact same spot for the antenna?"
"No, but there does need to be some care when you remove the lid because there is a lead to the antenna," said Francis. "It will have a little bit of play in it, but you can't willy-nilly toss it off to the side."
Francis noted communication will be going out to plumbers and other professions that would need to access the meters on how to properly handle the meters.
Francis said Zenner USA started the installation process this week between
Kiowa Road and Frey Street, from 5th Street to the south edge of
town.
Once completed, the new system will electronically send the water usage to
collectors, or towers positioned throughout town, which will eventually get
sent to the city’s billing office.
There are approximately 6,500 commercial and residential water meters in the
city’s service area. The AMI system is expected to be operating by next
February.