Portland Water District plans to upgrade thousands of meters

PORTLAND (WGME) — The Portland Water District is planning to upgrade almost all of its 55,000 meters over the next few years.

The water district says its meters in the Portland area are upwards of 20 years old. Leaders say many meters aren’t even working properly, prompting a much-needed replacement.

“The meters were wearing. They were aging,” Portland Water District Director of Communications Michelle Clements said.

The Portland Water District is set to replace all of its water meters with brand new technology.

“Will allow for us to get meter readings remotely, completely remotely, and will get multiple pieces of data and customers will be able to access near real-time usage,” Clements said.

The Portland Water District says it is partnering with Core & Main and VEPO Metering, who will install the meter in customer’s homes.

The process for each homeowner could take up to an hour.

“The safety and comfort of our customers were really a top priority,” Clements said. “Installers will have badges, ID badges, drive clearly marked vehicles, be in uniform.”

The installment won’t cost homeowners anything additional out of pocket, but with the new meters, comes a new way the rates are calculated.

“They will be displaying and recording percentages of 100 cubic feet. In the past with the old meters, we bill 100 cubic feet whole numbers,” Clements said.

Portland Water District expects the entire installment process to take up to three years.

The replacement project is set to begin in October, with work starting in Gorham. The Portland Water District says you will get a letter telling you exactly how the installment process will work.