Recently, a post on social media stated that a City of Mesquite employee recommended an annual calibration of water meters, giving the indication that new residential water meters were not accurate. The details provided in this post are misleading. The employee never stated that the meters were inaccurate, but was rather repeating the resident’s question back for clarification.
The water meter replacement program was initiated to replace older meters that were no longer under warranty and had become inaccurate over time. The new meters utilize a different technology for measuring water usage and are recognized in the industry for their accuracy. These meters have a 10 year warranty for accuracy and there is no requirement or recommendation by the manufacturer for recalibration. As with any manufactured device, some meters have been found to malfunction. Less than 500 meters have malfunctioned and needed to be replaced out of the more than 40,000 new meters installed. Many of the issues are related to the electronic communications, not the measurement of water usage. We have found less than 10 meters with water-measuring irregularities. Once the City is made aware of a malfunction, the meter is immediately replaced and sent back to the manufacturer for testing.
As a water provider, the City of Mesquite strives to provide an accurate accounting of water usage so that all water customers are fairly charged. Accurate accounting of water also helps in the long range planning for the system. The new meters have provided residents with more tools to help monitor their daily usage and receive notification of a leak or excessive usage. Any increases in water bills with the new meters are the result of the older meter being inaccurate, not calibration issues or inaccuracy with the new meters. We encourage all residents to access the WaterSmart Platform and monitor your daily, weekly and monthly consumption at mesquitetx.watersmart.com.
Cliff Keheley
City Manager