WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The City of Wausau is looking to replace water meters, the devices used to measure how much water you are using, in residential areas. However, the city will need funding to make this project a success.
The city has $8167,184 left in ARPA money from the pandemic. That money can be used towards various city projects.
The Wausau Council Chambers voted in motion on Tuesday to allow public works to use the funding for the water meter project.
It is a project that’s been in the works since the start of COVID, but it was brought to a halt when the pandemic hit. As a result, public works were not able to purchase more water meters.
“That went on probably for a little over two years,” Director of Public Works and Utilities for the City of Wausau Eric Lindman said. “So we had ordered them, but we weren’t able to get them. Typically, we capitalize those projects, and so we borrow every year, but since we weren’t buying them, we didn’t borrow.”
Lindman says public works needs about $2 million worth of water meters to complete the project. He says that would give them about 7,000 water meters to change out. Each one averages anywhere between $250 to $300.
“We do all that work in-house,” he added. “So, it’s just the material cost. It’s a meter and it’s also a radio with it, and the radio transmits the usage information to us.”
Lindman says the new meters they will be getting will allow them to run on one system instead of their current two. That is why he says it is important this project gets done now.
“Our new style meter is a 20-year meter, the old one was 10 years. We’re required to replace those every 10 years, so, this gives us longer replacement time in the cycle,” Lindman said.
The city is also going to benefit from this project in the long run.
“Once we get all of those replaced with newer meters, more accurate meters, then we’ll have a better sense of where our revenues are at, which will help mitigate future rate increases,” Lindman said.
As of right now, Lindman says there’s no intention of doing any rate increases. He says the earliest a rate increase would even be considered is 2026 or 2027.
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