RIVERSIDE, CA, FEB 28, 2020 -- Western Municipal Water District (Western) was recently awarded $1 million from the United States Bureau of Reclamation for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Customer Portal Project.
The funding allocation from the Bureau of Reclamation is for the second phase of the project, which will focus on the replacement of more than 7,000 meters in the Riverside service area and provide customers access to their water usage data via a new customer portal. Meter conversions to “smart” meters will be completed for meters older than five years.
“We are sincerely appreciative of the support provided by the Bureau of Reclamation,” Western General Manager Craig Miller said. “This grant award gives Western the opportunity to continue customer self-service enhancements that will support water use efficiency efforts and improved water supply resiliency in our service area.”
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology will automate meter reading, reducing vehicle emissions and maximizing workforce efficiency related to manual meter reading. AMI will also enhance Western’s customer self-service options by empowering customers with tools to monitor water usage, identify leaks, and maximize water use efficiency. The customer portal will be available to all customers with an AMI meter; which, at project completion, will be more than 17,000 of Western’s 25,000 drinking water connections.
The WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency grant program funds projects that result in quantifiable water savings and projects that support broader water reliability benefits.
“Western makes every effort to pursue grant funding opportunities, where possible, to improve services to our customers without added cost,” said Kevin Mascaro, Western’s finance director.
Western previously received $750,000 from the Bureau of Reclamation for the first phase of the project, where more than 10,000 Western customers received AMI meters.
To learn more about Western’s AMI meter replacement program, visit wmwd.com/MeterReplacement.
