Half Way Point of Installation Smart Water Meters

The installation of the smart water meters across the Shire has reached half way with 1850 of residence now fitted with a new smart water meter reader.

The smart water meter readers offer residents greater control over their water consumption by providing access to regular and automatic readings of their water usage while also alerting residents to high levels of usage and potential leaks.

Moree Plains Shire Council’s Acting Director of Engineering, Alan Lawrance has noted that some households might experience a change in water pressure after the new smart meter is installed due to the connecting pipe network.

“Older houses will have an older pipe network under their properties or coming from Council’s grid connecting to their water meters, these pipes will most likely have holes and cracks which are clogged by rocks and dirt.

“While the new meters are installed the holes and cracks in the pipes have probably been disturbed creating a leak and affecting the water pressure coming from your tap.

“While the new meters are expected to reduce the water pressure by about 5% this should not be noticeable when turning on taps or having a shower,” explained Mr Lawrance.

The rust and corrosion which occurs to the pipes is caused by a combination of the harsh Australian landscape, changing weather patterns experienced across Moree Shire and the age of the underground pipes.

Due to these reasons earlier this year, Council commenced works on replacing the ageing infrastructure of the water mains which makes up a large proportion of the underground pipe network.

The second round of installation of smart water meters is expected to beginning in July/August be almost completed by the end of August.

Following completion of the installation of smart meters throughout the Shire, residents will be provided with instructions on how to register for the customer portal and access and monitor their own water usage.

Residence experiencing issues with water pressure or water delays when turning on taps after their smart meter has been installed should report the problem to Council and a Council employee will come and assess the issue.

For more information or to report a problem please call Customer Service on (02) 6757 3222.