Springfield officials report mid‑project progress on citywide water meter upgrade

SPRINGFIELD — Service Director Chris Moore told the Springfield City Commission at a work session that the city has reached the midway point of a multi‑year water meter replacement program and expects to complete the second half in about two years, barring supply‑chain interruptions.

Moore said the city began the upgrade roughly two years ago because many mechanical meters were “30 plus years old” and failing at a rate of “about 30 to 40 per week.” The replacement program, he said, improves customer service and helps the city track nonrevenue water, a priority tied to federal EPA requirements. “We’re here, kind of celebrating the halfway point of our water meter upgrade,” Moore said.

The new meters transmit usage to a system of seven repeaters and a base station on the city’s water tower, feeding a dashboard used by utility billing staff. Moore described two practical customer benefits: the ability to deliver an immediate read for real‑estate closings and automated leak detection. “These give us the ability to read an individual meter at any time,” he said. Moore also said meters transmit twice daily (about 1 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and the system provides leak‑detection notices on a daily cadence.

Moore reported installation progress using the city’s figures: “We’ve replaced 11,586” meters. The transcript language about the number remaining is ambiguous; the city’s statement was captured verbatim and is included in provenance. He said installation is organized by utility‑billing routes (typically 200–300 customers each) and that in many installations the work takes 10 to 15 minutes.

On customer outreach and compliance, Moore described the city’s notice and appointment policy: staff hang a 10‑business‑day notice on the door, provide 15 business days for the resident to schedule an appointment, and turn off water if an appointment is not made; water is restored when customers call to schedule. To help customers who cannot call during the day, staff extend hours until 6 p.m. on notice days. Moore acknowledged the procedure can seem “extreme” but said it has been the most effective scheduling method the city has used.

Moore also addressed resident concerns about radio emissions, saying the meter transmitters are “pretty minor” compared with common household devices. He emphasized that the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI/AMR) is a metering and communications platform only and cannot throttle or remotely control the flow of water: “We can’t control the flow of the water going to your house.”

A practical regulatory component of the project is service‑line material identification. Moore said, per US EPA requirements and the new lead‑and‑copper rule, the city must record materials (copper, lead, galvanized) at two locations on each service and that until replacements occur the city is required to send annual notices to affected customers. Responding to a question from a speaker identifying herself as Brittney, Moore said notice language is mandated by the Ohio EPA and stated that Springfield “does not have a lead problem in our water system.” He directed residents seeking more information to springfieldohio.gov/lead.

Commissioners asked about meter lifespan and access. Moore said the new meters are expected to last in the '20‑year range,' that meter pits can be more difficult than basement installs, and that outside meters do not require the resident to be present for replacement. Moore flagged supply‑chain constraints as the principal external risk to the two‑year completion target.

The work session concluded with a motion to adjourn, which was moved and seconded (the recording does not identify mover or seconder by name). A roll call recorded affirmative votes for the commissioners listed in the transcript; the motion carried.