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Water meter
installation timeline |
Sept. 29, 2004 |
AB 2572, mandating water meters in all California cities by 2025, signed into law. Law requires homes built since 1992 to have usage-based water billing by 2011. |
May 2,
2007 |
City Council approves meter installation policy:
— Install within four years;
— Property owners pay for meters;
— Private contractor install for one year;
— Payment terms |
2010 |
Property owners may hire a contractor for meter installation |
| Dec. 1, 2010 |
Deadline to submit Notice of Intent to Privately Contract postcard to the Program Administrator |
Dec. 31, 2010 |
Deadline to complete installation (improvements must be accepted by City in January 2011) |
| 2011 through 2015 |
City installation of water meters, new water mains |
Need more information? |
| Contact: |
Tom Dugan
Water Meter Program Administrator |
| Phone: |
(209) 333-6800,
ext. 2659 |
| Hours: |
M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| E-mail: |
Program administrator |
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State law and the City of Lodi's water meter plan
Since 1992, State law has required water meter installation as part of all new construction. In 2004, the Legislature passed AB 2572, requiring all water suppliers to install water meters on all customer connections by January 1, 2025.
The law requires all metered services billed at a metered rate, so that water bills reflect water consumption. The City of Lodi currently charges residential customers a flat rate based on the number of bedrooms in the dwelling.
Here are answers to some questions you may have about the City's water meter installation program:
Q: Why do we need to install and pay for water meters?
A: Because state law is requiring water systems to charge customers based on the amount of water they use. Thousands of Lodi property owners paid for their meters when their homes were built (especially all those since 1992), so they won't need to pay again.
Q: How do I know if I will be charged, and how much it will cost?
A: If your house was built after 1992, the City may already have collected a charge for a meter and the plumbing service probably is compatible with a meter. For these homes, there will be no installation charge.
Q: What does it mean to "upgrade" my water service?
A: Upgrading service means modifying the outdoor water service line to include connections for a meter that will be placed in a utility box. There are approximately 11,000 water services in Lodi that need upgrading, most of them on homes built before 1979.
Q: How do I know if I need to upgrade my water service?
A: Look near your sidewalk or alley. If you  have a round cast-iron valve box approximately 5 inches in diameter, your service will need upgrading. If you have a concrete cover or steel lid to a rectangular concrete box approximately 25 inches by 16 inches, your service is probably meter-ready.
Q: Can I arrange for my own installation?
A: Yes. You have the option of hiring a City-approved contractor who must use a City-supplied meter. That will allow you to convert to a usage-based bill sooner, but the installation cost may be higher or lower than what the City charge will be. For some residents, the potential savings from lower water bills may be worth a higher cost. Installation must be completed in calendar year 2010. For details, download the property owner self-installation manual from the Document Library above.
Q: My house has a meter box that is configured to have a meter installed, but currently does not have a meter. Why won’t the City let me install it myself?
A: Because the City’s water system is minimally chlorinated, it is susceptible to contamination if a meter is not properly disinfected prior to going on-line. Therefore, a property owner may elect to privately contract their meter installation, but the City will require that a qualified contractor be hired to install and disinfect the service.
Q. What about upgrading the water service?
A: That is a far more complex job for the typical homeowner because it requires excavating the line, installing new pipe, fittings, meter, meter box and valves. That is not part of the City's water meter program.
Q: This is a water meter program. Why are the water main lines being upgraded?
A: The City collects money, placed in the Infrastructure Replacement Fund, to repair, replace, and make improvements to the City’s water service infrastructure in an effort to ensure reliability. Currently, there are many miles of mainline pipe that need replacing and/or are undersized. The City will abandon and relocate these pipes into the streets fronting the residence. This work will occur concurrently with the meter program to minimize disturbance on Lodi's residents.
Q: Currently, some residences have water meters and will begin receiving usage-based bills in 2011. The remaining residences will have water meters installed in phases over the next five years. It seems unfair that some residents will be billed on a flat-rate while others are charged on a usage base. Why not start billing everyone based on usage at one time?
A: Residences with homes constructed post-1992 must be billed on usage-base by January 2011. The Lodi City Council is aware that two different water billing structures will occur for a period of time. This was one reason the Council chose to accelerate the water meter program to minimize the time period that the two billing structures would occur.
Q: As part of a building permit, the City charged a water service and meter fee to upgrade my water service to comply with City standards. The Water Meter Program will be relocating the mainline servicing my house. Will I be required to pay for the new service connection?
A: No. Your building permit fee to upgrade the water service connection constitutes you as "pre-paid." You will not be charged again.
Q: Will the water meters be equipped to be remotely read?
A:
Yes, the City is equipping the water meters with the capability of being remotely read with a drive-by or walk-by device. The water meters and electric meters will ultimately transmit their readings to a centralized computer.
Q: Will my water bill go up?
A: That depends on your current rate -- based on the number of bedrooms in your home -- and how much water you use. The cost of supplying water is not changing, so the City needs to collect the same amount of money to properly operate the system as it does now. To help people understand how much water they use, and how much that will cost, the City will phase in consumption-based bills. Residents will know how much water they use, and the equivalent usage-based cost, for several months before the metered rate takes effect.
Q: Will I be able to read my meter?
A: Yes. The meters will have dials similar to odometers on older automobiles. Also, the meters will have leak detectors that will show if water is flowing to your home even with all plumbing fixtures shut off. For billing purposes, meters will be read electronically.
Q: How much will it cost to have a metered water service installed?
A:
The water meter program has five meter classes (A-E) with the following associated cost:
- Class A: Installation of meter and radio transmitter into existing meter box - $300
- Class B: Non-standard meter box requires some modifications be completed (i.e. modification to existing plumbing, new customer or City shutoff valves, reset the meter box, etc) and will require a water meter and a radio transponder installed - $450
- Class C: Existing Rich Box located in the front yard that will remain on existing City mainline. The Rich Box will be replaced with a meter box and will have a water meter and radio transmitter installed - $1,100
- Class D: Existing Rich Box located in the backyard that will remain on existing City mainline. The Rich Box will be replaced with a meter box and will have a water meter and radio transmitter installed - $1,200
- Class E: Existing backyard service connection that will be relocated to the front of the home, resulting from an undersized mainline, and connected to a new mainline - $1,200
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