How Do You Read 7 Million Water Meters? by Kayla Bronson J ust ask Jun Uetake, a part of the Customer Service Staff at The Tokyo Bureau of Waterworks in Tokyo, Japan, who visited the Section Office in mid-November to learn more about AMR (Automated Meter Readings). Marty Aman (Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority), Judith Hansen (Kingston Water Department), and David Jones (Mohawk Valley Water Authority) joined Uetake on a call along with Kayla Bronson and Trina Carman (Section Staff) about their experiences with AMR and AMI (Automated Meter Infrastructure). Tokyo Water is looking to advance its meter readers from a system where employees check outdoor meters with handheld devices, as well as enter apartments within the metropolis to provide seven million residents with their monthly water usage bill. Hansen and Aman explained how their utilities moved to a drive-by network, where members of their team drive through the streets of a city and a computer in the vehicle reads a number of homes’ meters. Uetake’s positive impression of the system used by Wayne County and Kingston Water was further enhanced when Jones explained MVWA’s move to AMR. modem (Meter Interface Unit or MIU) installations that will transmit meter data to their central office. As the job of the meter reader decreases, MVWA sees additional maintenance positions opening up. MVWA began a pilot in December of 2012 and is moving forward with full implementation. Uetake asked about some of the disadvantages seen in AMR. Hansen mentioned the higher start-up rate as one of the negatives of AMR, as new equipment must be bought. Also, about 1 – 2 % of the radios need to be replaced soon after installation due to failure. Occasionally, operators have to go back to a site and re-read the meter by hand, due to failure or inaccuracy by the AMR. Overall, Jun was pleased with the reviews he heard from Marty, Judy, and Dave. Before departing to Manhattan, Jun gave Trina and Kayla each a parting gift – chop sticks. “I don’t know how to use them!” exclaimed Kayla upon her gift presentation. Jun’s tour in the US had previously brought him to Washington D.C. where he visited some of the Smithsonian Museums. He made sure to have a little bit of fun on his business trip to the US. The New York Section wishes Jun and the Tokyo Bureau of Waterworks the best of luck in their endeavors. Unlike some other systems, MVWA will eventually move to a monthly billing system; and AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) will provide hourly water meter readings of homes and businesses every day. “We get complaints that with quarterly billing, customers can’t properly budget their water usage. When everything is set, hopefully in eighteen to twenty-four months, we’ll receive readings every day just after midnight of over 41,000 meters,” commented Patrick Becher, Executive Director, MVWA. The Mohawk Valley Water Authority website will have portals online where customers can see their usage. “The Authority will also be able to notify customers if an account is flagged as having a leak,” Jones said. MVWA will slowly transfer the job the meter readers perform to radio 14 SPRING/SUMMER 2013 AqUARIUS