The City of Novi has initiated a city-wide residential meter changeout program. The City is implementing this program due to the age and accuracy of the existing water meters. The new meters will be compatible with the City’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure, which will allow remote access to water usage data by residents and City staff once operational. It will also provide enhanced capabilities to keep you informed in real-time, such as receiving leak alerts.
This program requires the replacement of your meter and the replacement or new installation of the outside reading device. The City has contracted with Ferguson Waterworks and Utility Metering Solutions (UMS) to complete the replacement of your meter. Technicians will be visiting your residence sometime in the next few months to install a new meter. There is no cost to the resident for this meter replacement. However, you must have your water meter replaced to avoid water service interruption. To install the new water meter, technicians will need the following:
- Access to the service line area inside your home.
- The area should be clear and accessible.
- An adult (18 years of age or older) must be present at the time of installation.
COVID-19 Precautions: UMS is committed to your safety and that of their workforce. Therefore, installers will be following necessary precautions per their mandatory corporate policy including social distancing, the use of gloves, foot booties, and face coverings when interacting with customers. They will also be routinely cleaning and disinfecting their tools and tablets.
The City of Novi is installing an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), which is a fixed network system allowing City staff remote access for each metered connection in the water distribution system and supplies information such as consumption, potential leakage, tampering, and backflow events. Implementation of the AMI system is a two-phase process – first, the installation of collector towers throughout the City which is now complete, and second - meter replacements as necessary to ensure adequate connectivity throughout the system.
The AMI system will allow the City to collect real-time data from the water billing meters through direct radio communications and transmit this data directly to a data center, which would make the data available to City staff, and potentially to the customers at some point in the future. Figure 1 provides a graphical depiction of a typical AMI system.
