Water meter project given the go-signal

THE Governor’s Water Task Force announced that field preparation work on the installation of the first batch of 4,000 state-of-the-art water meters will begin today.

Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente, task force head, said a notice to proceed has been issued by S.S.F.M. International, the project management firm, to the project contractor.

“The public will notice mobilization of crews. Signboards will be constructed. Field offices and staging areas will be opened,” the task force said.

Simultaneously, the crews will begin work on identifying and marking water meter laterals and put color-coded flags on the sites to prepare excavation for the meter installation.

Greg Q. Castro, S.S.F.M. International project manager said the contractor has 125 days to finish installing the water meters.

According to the task force, meter installation will begin from four points north and south of the island:

* The Northern Marianas College water reservoir going down to Beach Road.

* The reservoir on Isley Field going down to Chalan Piao.

* The Navy Hill reservoir going down to the Maturana Hill, on to the Commonwealth Health Center and Beach Road in Garapan.

* The Sadog Tasi reservoir going down to Middle Road and on to Garapan.

The task force said water meter installation will progress from these points and end at a convergence area near Kristo Rai Church in Garapan.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and task force contractors will be identifying all service laterals to ensure that they are properly registered. Thereafter, the contractor will prepare sites for meter installation.

Following this, water meters will be installed with serial numbers recorded for CUC’s billing purposes.

Meantime, the task force asked residents to implement water conservation measures to avoid an increase in their bills once water meters are installed.

The task force explained that water consumers should no longer be billed the flat rate when the water meters have been installed. Instead, they will be billed for their actual consumption.

The task force also said residents should observe the following measures:

* Repair leaks in your property else be billed for the water lost to these leaks.

* Ask your neighbors who are using your service lines to apply for a separate meter with CUC. Otherwise, you will be billed for your neighbor’s water use.

* Install operating float valves in your water tanks because the smart meters will be recording all overflowing water from tanks which will then be billed to you.

Large commercial building operators are also asked to install water conservation fixtures and devices like restrictors, on all water outlets.

Businesses engaged in horticulture and agriculture are likewise urged to utilize drip irrigation technology to reduce water consumption and still maintain present production.