Bartlesville's transition to automated water meter system begins Thursday

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - Bartlesville will begin its changeover to an automated water meter system on Thursday.

That day crews will begin installing the new wirelessly read meters from the Caney River west to Santa Fe and from 23rd Street to the northern city limits, according to a notification city officials released Wednesday.

Workers replacing the older analog meters will be wearing bright yellow vests bearing a Mueller log on the back and will be driving trucks also marked with the logo.

The Bartlesville Municipal Authority during an August meeting, after authorizing of a $3.8 million loan from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, awarded a contract to Mueller Systems to install automated system for $3.7 million.

The scope of the project calls for the replacement of 16,000 water meters and installation of data collectors throughout the city — a process that will take approximately eight months to complete.

Under the new system, meters will send usage information to data collectors every 10 minutes. The collectors will then upload the data once daily to a server at the city hall.

City officials said as the new system will no longer require monthly on-site readings by city employees, it will bring the city a total annual savings will be $367,000 in manpower, benefits, vehicles and fuel.

Additionally, the new water system will allow customers to create accounts to watch and manage their water usage rates.