Automated metering infrastructure (AMI) is the latest technology in the evolution of water-metering infrastructure. It will enable us to better manage our water, which we in Pleasanton and throughout the entire state have come to recognize as a precious resource.
As part of the city’s Capital Improvement Program, the AMI project will give water customers better control by improving our monitoring system, increasing its accuracy and ensuring better water resource management overall.
A few years ago, the City Council established the AMI project as a priority, and staff has been pilot-testing the different technologies to determine the best fit for Pleasanton. We recognized that our aging water meters were in need of replacement as most meters become inefficient over time and no longer keep accurate track of water use.
The effect of this diminished accuracy in recording water use has created an unsustainable situation and is estimated to cost taxpayers and the city of Pleasanton upward of $750,000 annually in lost water and revenue.
The Aclara metering system has been selected to upgrade nearly 22,000 residential and commercial water meters throughout Pleasanton beginning this month. The system will take approximately one year to fully install. It will consist of new meters with transmission units and data collector units, which will aggregate the information, and customers will be able to access their own data from any smart device or computer through a new customer web portal.
One of the most exciting features of this project is the ability consumers will have to track individual usage. We will also be able to establish our own water budget or threshold amount (in gallons or dollars) and receive notifications if we are about to exceed that amount or whether abnormal usage occurs, which can be predictive of a leak. These improvements in monitoring our water consumption will give us the ability to better manage our water use and needs going forward.
Our previously demonstrated success at conserving water when it was needed most indicates a collective interest in doing what’s right, even when it isn’t easy. With the water management tools that come with AMI, individual conservation efforts can become even more effective.
As mentioned, this will be done in phases and will impact all water customers in Pleasanton. And just as pilot-testing was done in advance of deciding which system to purchase, a systems acceptance test is currently being conducted prior to full-scale implementation of the project, and I among others have volunteered to test this phase of the project. Once we get through with this final performance test, all residents and businesses will be notified in advance of installation beginning in their neighborhoods.
City staff will be holding a second AMI community outreach meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to answer any questions. The meeting will be held at the Veterans Memorial Building, 301 Main St.
There are other ways to get informed. Sign on to the “Automated Metering Infrastructure” page on the city’s website at www.cityofpleasantonca.gov, follow us on Twitter @pleasantonca and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofPleasanton or call the operations services customer service line at 931-5500.
* Editor’s note: Jerry Thorne is completing his second two-year term as mayor of Pleasanton after serving seven years on the City Council. A retired corporate executive with more than 40 years in the private sector, he also served for 10 years on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
