Chandler will begin installing new technology to monitor water usage.
The city is moving away from a system where meter readers drive routes and use handheld devices to collect monthly data. With the new system, water meters will communicate directly with about 50 antennas placed throughout the city.
Jeremy Abbott, assistant director of public works and utilities, said an online portal will provide daily water consumption and leak alerts, “Currently, a customer may not realize they have a problem until they get their bill, you know, 30 days later, and they see that, oh, wow, my bill went up $50 or $100 from last month. What's going on? It’s a very reactive mode.”
Abbott said the $18 million switch will be funded primarily through water rates. Equipment installation, including about 30,000 upgraded water meters will begin later this year and the new system should roll out in spring 2026.
He said the new ultrasonic meters last an average of 20 years, compared to 15 years for the typical impeller-style meters, “And the accuracy of those meters degrade from essentially the first day that you put it into operation. These new meters, the accuracy remains for the life of that meter.”
