Mount Pleasant Waterworks: Water Company & Public Water Utility in South Carolina - Residential Water Services - Pub Detail

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--Press Room

July 26, 2007

Mount Pleasant Waterworks (MPW) has successfully negotiated the replacement of the failed Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Systems. The AMR Replacement Team is preparing to exchange the failed devices with a new proven and tested model throughout the entire system.

The wireless radio system known as Automated Meter Reading or AMR remotely reads meters and then transfers the data to the billing system. The radio transmitters in the MPW system began failing after modifications due to a design challenge raised with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The meters recorded the usage correctly, but the radio transmitters began to fail. Heresy Meters, the AMR provider, has worked closely with Mount Pleasant Waterworks to plan for the replacement project. Hersey Meters employees will be working with Mount Pleasant Waterworks employees to systematically change out the failing radios.

The replacement should not have any effect on water service. If you are receiving an entirely new AMR meter, the water service may be disrupted for a brief period- generally 15 to 30 minutes.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked to rectify this situation and look forward to the improved service we will be able to provide,” stated Clay Duffie, Mount Pleasant Waterworks General Manager. “Using AMR will ultimately make the meter reading process more efficient and should provide savings to our customers.”

The project will cost $1.4 million. This cost includes new meters to convert all of Mount Pleasant Waterworks customers to radio read meters and the replacement of the failed meters. When complete, the system will have all new registers and Itron radios with 20 year warranties. The replacement project is expected to be complete in early 2008.