Meter upgrade to tap water users

The approximately 1,800 residents and businesses connected to the Johnston Water Authority may soon get a knock on their doors.

Beginning Oct. 2, work crews from LaFramboise Water Service/Millenium Water will begin to leave informational door hangers on homes and businesses utilizing Johnston Water containing information about water meter upgrades and replacements.

Johnston Water has been supplying consumers throughout the town with water since 1985. Since 2008 Johnston Water has contracted LaFramboise Water Service to run the day-to-day operations and make any water system improvements to the water supply infrastructure. In an effort to modernize, prevent contamination of the system, and to stop the potential theft of water from the system, all customers of Johnston Water will now be required to have new water meters installed.

“We’re delivering a clean product, I don’t need anybody who has thieving tendencies to try and steal water. These new meters will prevent the theft of water, it’s a safety issue, it’s a health issue” said Mayor Joseph Polisena. “I am very, very concerned, I think there’s more people stealing than I imagined. We’re getting robbed, and we’ll know in six months to a year how much we’re getting robbed. We’ll reserve the right to go after the ratepayer’s money.”

The old meters, which have come into question by the administration, are typically read by the town twice a year in a process that takes two to three months to complete as crews have to physically inspect each meter to find how much water was used. The new meters will come equipped with a radio transmitter, which will allow for remote readings. 

“We’ll have a laptop that we’ll hook up to a truck with an antenna, and we will drive certain routes and that laptop will pick up the radio signal and read the meter,” said Jim Majewski of LaFramboise, who added that the readings would now only take two to three days to complete. “Not only will it read the meter, it will give us signals on excessive use. Based on an average it will tell us if there’s any backflow or if it’s been tampered with.”

Majewski said his company has seen cases in town where meters have been removed, meters have been turned around so they flow backwards so they are not billed for the service, to customers physically handling the meter and piping in the basement that could potentially contaminate the water system.

According to LaFramboise, there are about 500 to 600 meters that only need a transmitter upgrade, as those meters may have been changed since their original installation. That transmitter costs approximately $180 to be installed. For the remaining customers that have an old, original meter, the cost will be about $338.

“People are concerned with the cost, and people have been asking whose meter is it, mine or the town’s. It belongs to the town, no doubt about it,” said Polisena. “It’s owned by the utility, which is Johnston Water, which obviously they are customers of, and the utility is an enterprise, call it an enterprise fund, supported by the rate payers of the utility. It’s only the rate payers who pay for it, and the rate payers are responsible for the cost of the operation including the new meters.” 

Customers will be billed over time for the changes, which according to the mayor will be paid over a two-year timeframe equaling approximately $42.25 paid quarterly for old meters.

“Over the last eight or nine years the Johnston Water system has been tremendously upgraded with upgrades to the pump station on Shun Pike, they just replaced the whole pump station over on Central Avenue, we’re in the process of doing a hydrant program-either replacing or cleaning or painting the hydrants,” said Paul LaFramboise, President of LaFramboise Water Service. “We have a valve program that’s new to the town, so all of these upgrades have turned into some additional operating costs but I think that what’s happening now with this program is that, in order to pay for all of these things, the mayor has been very generous in the fact that he is instituting this temporary surcharge in order to fund these upgrades, and when they’re paid for they go away as opposed to creating an infrastructure charge or raising rates in order to pay for it.”

Workers who will change the meters are going to be clearly identified with town IDs that they received from the police department.

“I encourage people, if the workers don’t have their ID on them, don’t let them in. If it’s questionable, call the police and let the police come up there if they are concerned,” said Polisena. 

Polisena added that, if a customer does not let a work crew in within 30 days of being contacted, or if other arrangement are not made in a timely fashion to accommodate a customer’s schedule, the water supply to the business or residence will be turned off.  Customers will then have to pay a $100 fee to have the water turned back on, and will still have to have the new meters installed. 

While both the mayor and representatives of LaFramboise stated that the new devices may be hackable from outside sources, the system is well encrypted and it is a felony to tamper with a utility.

“Take it to the bank, if someone tampers with these meters, we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” said Polisena.

One to four crewmembers will canvas the town at any given time to make the changes, with work hours ranging from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. A typical replacement takes about an hour to complete. The town will keep old meters for six months to a year in case there are any discrepancies. The town will then recycle those meters and any revenue generated will be returned to the enterprise fund back into the water system for the ratepayers.

The town has been divided into segments, and work will address one section at a time. Steps will be taken to make the changeover as convenient as possible based on a resident’s schedule. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, work is expected to be completed by April or May. Instructions on the door hangers will include a phone number and website to schedule the changeover.