Water Meters - The Final Word?

The past month or so has been partly taken up with a "discussion" about putting a water meter inside a new house being built in the Subdivision. In the past few days, we've received information that appears to decide the whole issue.

Our Regional District does have a view on meters. Essentially their view is that each water utility makes its own by-laws (regarding other matters as well as meters). Meters are slowly being adopted in some communities but there is opposition despite their obvious value. It could be noted that our Society overwhelmingly voted to adopt water meters at the 2007 AGM. We received a grant that covered most of the cost of the project, we used the meters for a whole year before bringing in a new rate structure in 2010 and we reported this to all members as the project unfolded.

Our information is that water meters are not considered to be plumbing fixtures and do not have to be CSA approved. They are, instead, part of the water distribution system which PRWUS owns and operates.

The meters we use ARE certified to the following standards: ANSI/NSF 61 (which specifies the level of lead allowed in the copper alloy meter body) and AWWA C-700 (which specifies the accuracy of the meters). Our Trident T-10 meters (manufactured by Neptune) have a no-lead copper alloy body and are displacement-type meters common in residential applications. Measurement Canada recommended in 2004 that the AWWA standard be adopted for all meters.

The meters themselves are highly unlikely to leak, despite any rumours that there have been leaks. We are not aware of ANY leaks related to any of our installations. The meters have a one-piece alloy body with a base held on by robust bolts and two seals. The only chance of leaks might be from connections to the plumbing system, as there might be with any other pipe joint. We have had one case of a meter making a squeaking noise. This was traced to a small circular magnet rubbing on the inside of the housing, an issue that was easy to fix.

The result of all this kafuffle is that we now have a statement from the Regional District that we can make our own decisions regarding water meters and that they are not a concern to the building inspectors. It is unfortunate that a small, vocal minority continues to oppose meters, but we feel our experience has been positive and has been shown to be the only fair way to allocate the cost of the water being delivered.

This may not be "the final word" but it does seem to move the whole discussion forward in a favourable direction.