Water Meter Debate Continues in Strasburg
21 November 2019 Shenandoah County News
November 21, 2019
STRASBURG – The Strasburg Town Council once again went over a potential water meter upgrade for the town during their work session earlier this week.
Currently, the water meters in Strasburg calculate billing by each 1,000 gallons used. This allows for bill spiking at certain times of the year when residents passover each 1,000 gallon mark for a month. The upgrade to a “smart” water meter device would calculate bills by the 100 or even 10 gallons used. This would allow for more exact local water bills and consistency with pricing.
It would cost up to $806,000 for the Town to upgrade water meters to the smart version. Town Manager Wyatt Pearson expressed during the work session that the Town does have enough in the water budget to afford the change.
In order to execute an upgrade to smart water meters, a water study would have to be conducted. It would determine whether or not the Town’s water rates are fair considering water usage and availability. The Town put out a request for bids from companies for a water study, only one offer has been made. One consulting firm offered to conduct the study for $14,000. For now, the Town Council would like to wait for more bids to come in before committing to the $14,000 price point. If that consulting firm was used, the council would likely use funds from the water budget to pay for the study.
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Josh Henry Water Study, Water Rates, Water budget, Water Meters in Strasburg, Strasburg Water Meters, Water billing, Strasburg Water Billing, Town Manager Wyatt Pearson, strasburg town council