800 Leaks Detected in Bayonne

United Water Smarter Water Meter Data Helps to Detect More than 800 Leaks in Bayonne, NJ

Water is relatively inexpensive in the context of your overall household budget. On average, the cost of water is less than a penny a gallon. That makes it all too easy to waste.

Right now, in your basement or in your backyard, there's that one spigot that won't completely shut off. And you're paying more for water service than you have to as a result.

If that sounds familiar, you don't live in Bayonne, NJ where United Water, has installed over 10,500 new and smarter meters for 90 percent of the city's residents and businesses. The data from the new meters enables our dedicated customer service team to show and tell homeowners and the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority (BMUA) how much water they're using each day.

With real-time data from the new advanced meters, United Water can detect water leaks and quickly inform the customer of the need to take action to prevent a bill spike or worse - property damage that may result from a broken pipe.

Meter readers no longer have to walk from door to door resulting in an increased sense of security for homeowners - and we, as a company, no longer have to inconvenience homeowners who would otherwise have to wait at home for a meter-reading appointment.

Indeed Bayonne residents have already benefited from the increased information about their water consumption and underground piping that the new meters provide.

"We receive regular compliments from customers about the professionalism and follow-through of our employees," said Chris Riat, United Water senior director of contract operations. "In one instance our customer service supervisor had contacted a resident regarding a possible leak that he was able to identify utilizing the new smart meter technology. Our employees then went to the customer's home and identified and repaired the leak - likely saving her money on her next bill. She called us to let us know that she was thrilled with the immediate response and the way the situation was handled."

In the past it would take 90 days or more—the length of the billing cycle—before patterns of wasted water might surface. Now, we run daily consumption reports and send out letters or make phone calls to customers if their usage seems abnormally high. We've detected leaks for 800 customers so far.

The program to up the intelligence of Bayonne's meters is one of many infrastructure investment projects United Water will undertake in partnership with the BMUA as it operates the municipal system over the next 40 years and oversees $157 million in investment.

Source: United Water

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• Smart Meters
• Leakage Reduction
• Governance & Planning