Water meter replacement beginning

Earlier this year, Yorkton Council approved a plan which will see new water meters installed throughout the city. 

The replacement project is about to begin. 

Last week, a series of ‘test’ installations were carried out, including the homes of Mayor Mitch Hippsley, Councillor Randy Goulden and 20 City of Yorkton staff. 

Work across the city will begin soon. 

Installations will be carried out on an area by area basis. As technicians move into your area, you will receive a notification containing information on how to book your appointment, explained Marlene Hauser, Financial Systems Manager, with the City. 

Appointments can be made to fit your schedule. Appointments will be available Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Property owners are required to be at home during the installation and provide access to the meter and shut-off valve for this replacement. The upgrade procedure requires approximately 30 – 90 minutes to complete, during which time the water will be shut off for a brief period. 

There is no charge for the meter or the installation. 

At the meeting Council approved the replacement project, Trent Mandzuk – Director of Public Works, with the City explained to Council; “Water meters measure the volume of water used by residential and commercial building units that are supplied with water by a public water supply system. Water meters are generally owned, read and maintained by a public water provider.” 

As meters age they can have problems. 

“Some types of meters become less accurate as they age, and under-registering consumption leads to lower revenues if defective meters are not regularly replaced,” said Mandzuk. 

As a result, “Over the past four years, we have been evaluating a City-wide water replacement program in attempt to modernize our metering system and take advantage of the many advanced technologies now available.” 

“Our current system is very inefficient in comparison to the automated capabilities of present day Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technologies,” continued Mandzuk. 

And that led to the replacement project. 

The project was officially approved in the 2020/2021 capital budget. 

The City of Yorkton currently has 6,472 Neptune water meters in the distribution system. Of those 5,413 are 10-years old, or older. 

In February 2021, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was advertised on SaskTenders and the City webpage for the supply, installation and calibration of an AMI system. 

The City received three proposals with Council approving awarding the bid to Neptune Technology Group for $2,076,680.50. 

This project is funded by Water Works reserves as identified in the 2020/2021 Capital budget.