Hope springs with installation of smart meters

The CNMI Water Task Force began installing smart water meters on Friday, with a hope that the water situation would improve in Garapan and other “critical” areas in two months.

The first smart meter was installed Friday morning at an As Terlaje residence, located across from the Northern Marianas College water tank on Chalan Monsignor Guerrero Road.

Pursuant to the government’s contract with the contractor, World Electric & Construction Company Inc., all 4,000 smart meters should be installed within 125 days, or by Sept. 5, 2005.

Managed by SSFM International, the federally funded project costs $487,415.

Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente, the chair of the CNMI Water Task Force, said a little over 2,000 of the smart meters would be installed in critical areas such as Garapan, Chalan Kanoa, Susupe, and Chalan Laulau.

Located on the west side of the island, these areas are currently receiving water for only an hour and a half everyday, sometimes even less.

“It looks like we might be completed in these priority zones within a couple of months and not the four months given under the contract. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the water would improve within the next two months in these critical areas,” Benavente said.

He also expressed hope that with the installation of smart meters, consumers would be more mindful of the their water usage.

“The installation of smart meters is probably the most important in our efforts to provide pressurized, 24-hour water to every home. We continue to point out that we have enough water for everybody, if everybody would just use the water that they need and not waste,” said Benavente.

He reminded consumers that with smart meters, every drop of water that comes out of their faucet would be charged to them.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. reported earlier that 40 to 60 percent of water produced was lost to leaks, metering errors, and theft. Leakage in the transmission lines, distribution lines, and customers’ premises were cited as the major causes of water wastage.

CUC also said that wastage results from the customers’ lack of consciousness about water conservation.

Currently, customers in areas not receiving 24-hour water service are billed at a flat rate of $11 a month “because of the argument that meter readings include air flows.”

“Because these customers are paying flat rate, there is no incentive for them to repair leaks within their premises,” CUC said. “With the installation of smart meters [based on a new technology that do not read air flow through the meter], all CUC customers can be billed based on their actual consumption. This will result in reduction of wastage of water.”