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Newmarket launching program to replace, upgrade water meters

Residents do not need to be home when the work is completed and the installer does not need to enter the home
NewmarketToday Staff
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Supplied photo/Town of Newmarket

NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF NEWMARKET
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The Town of Newmarket is set to launch its water meter replacement program by the end of March with enhanced COVID-19 safety measures in place. The Water Meter Replacement Program aims to replace and upgrade all water meters in Newmarket.

This program will take place in phases to ensure health and safety protocols are met. The first phase will focus on upgrading water meters that are less than 10 years old for approximately 7,000 households.

With the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, these water meter upgrades will take place first as this work is done entirely outside and does not require interaction with the homeowner.
 
The water meter upgrade work will be carried out by the Town’s contractor WAMCO and will take place outside the house or building. WAMCO installers will install a new digital water meter reading hardware directly over the existing reader.
 
Residents do not need to be home when the water meter upgrade work is completed and the WAMCO installer does not need to enter the home. If a contractor is requesting to enter the home, please call the Town of Newmarket at 905-895-5193 to confirm these details. There is no cost to residents for this work and no service disruptions while this work is being done.

Benefits of the water meter upgrade include: 

  • Ability to conduct remote water meter readings

    • No physical visits will be required to obtain water meter readings which will result saved time and improved efficiencies.

  • Improved water meter reading accuracy

    • If the resident’s water meter was previously over-registering or under-registering, the new water meter will now measure the water usage accurately.

  • Providing the Town with the future ability to identify leaks and losses within the system before they become a larger issue and

  • Providing residents with the future ability to track water usage through an online portal

The water meter upgrade work will take place on an area-by-area basis. Residents will receive a letter in the mail with an approximate timeframe of when the WAMCO installer will be in the neighbourhood to complete this work.
 
WAMCO installers will be subject to a daily health screening process before heading to work. If residents see a WAMCO installer conducting a water meter upgrade, they are advised to give the installer space and are reminded to stay at least 6ft./2m away.
 
The second phase of the water meter replacement program will replace water meters for approximately 18,000 households. A deployment date for the second phase of the program has not been established yet as this work requires the WAMCO installer to enter the resident’s home.

The Town continues to monitor the current landscape while seeking advice from Public Health to ensure this work can be done safely. The Town will provide an update when deployment for the second phase is deemed safe and a start date has been set.
 
Residents who have questions about the water meter replacement program are encouraged to visit newmarket.ca/watermeters, email [email protected] or call 905-895-5193.

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