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g�i � � REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Department Approval � Item Description: Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Presentation Date: March 29, 2010 Item No.: 10.a City Manager Appr�oval BACKGROUND The City has operated a water distribution system since the early 1960's. In order to track and bill for water usage, water meters were installed inside every location that is connected to the City watermain. In most cases, an outside reader/register (OSR) is connected by a wire to the inside meter so that a read can be obtained without entering the home or business. Historically, City employees walk door to door to manually read the (OSR) and enter the reading into a handheld device. The majority of ineters can be read without risk of injury to staff and most are readily accessed. There are a number of OSR's where this is not the case. There are Site related injury risks and the associated liabilities are a concern where animals, hidden hazards, and registers in hazardous locations exist. Furthermore, not all meters are readily accessed as some are located behind locked gates or in difficult terrain and are more difficult to read and as such increase reading cost. Delayed and restricted access imposed by property owners also adds cost. Occasionally, inaccurate manual meter reads can lead to customer concerns, which take time and resources to resolve. For all of the above reasons, we have been studying implementation of AMR (Automated Meter Reading) systems for 15 years and have continued to research current available options. DISCUSSION There are two types of AMR systems: Drive-by and fixed-base. In a drive-by vehicle system, a vehicle is equipped with a radio read data collector. Staff collects the readings simply by driving the vehicle at normal road speeds around the intended route. Once the driver is in radio range, the unit can receive and process the meter data. Once the information is collected by the receiver, data is then sent to a laptop computer where it is matched up with the pre-loaded route information. The information is then downloaded into a route management or billing system back at the billing office. (See Figure 1) This type of AMR system is somewhat less upfront cost but factoring rising fuel costs, vehicle costs, and employee risk and time, is more costly when those costs are added. Another way of capturing data is to permanently mount a radio receiver in a central location as in a fixed-base system. (See Figure 2) The receiver is then connected to a central processing unit that captures the data from the field. Fixed-base networks are more suitable for densely populated areas and are a cost effective means of collecting usage data. One of the advantages of a fixed radio network is the ability to capture readings on demand or on a more frequent basis. Page 1 of 5