Sussex mandates new water meters

By Mark Lichtenwalner
SUSSEX BOROUGH — The Sussex Borough Council issued a notice at its monthly meeting Tuesday, July 18, requiring all water meters to be replaced in the borough.
According to the notice issued by the Borough of Sussex, it is mandatory that all water meters in the borough be replaced with new meters that can be read via radio frequency. The new meters are designed to be more accurate and to make it easier for the water department to collect usage data from each customer.
The notice states the purpose of the new meters is to “ensure continued accuracy for customer billing purposes.”
Borough grant writer Steve Welsh was on hand to help answer questions regarding the meters, which were funded by state grants.
Councilmember Linda Masson asked Welsh, “How much do we estimate we have been losing in revenue (due to the old meters)?”
While Welsh didn’t have a specific number, he estimates that the borough could be losing out on as much as 20 percent of possible revenue from broken or improperly calibrated water meters.
“We have meters that don’t work at all,” Welsh said. “They read zero.”
The 2017 budget anticipates $2,415,806 in water and sewer utility revenues.
The borough has contracted with Lenegan Plumbing and Heating of Ocean City to perform the water meter replacements.
Lenegan will need access to the inside of the property to replace the water meters, so an appointment is necessary. Appointments can be scheduled Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The tentative start date for the water meter replacement program is Sept. 11.
There is no cost to have the meters installed, with only one exception: if the water shut-off valves inside the property are found to be inoperable during the replacement, Lenegan can replace or repair the valves at the owners expense, or an outside contractor must perform the work, again at the homeowners expense.
The installation takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Every water customer in the borough should expect to receive a letter from Lenegan with information on how to schedule an appointment.
It is estimated to take three weeks to replace every water meter in the Borough of Sussex.