Pine Cover Water to begin trial of new transmission system for meters

The Directors of Pine Cove Water District met on Wednesday, February 12. They heard from General Manager Jeremy Potter that he is ready to start a pilot program to address poor data transmission from the recently installed “smart” meters.

Board president Robert Hewitt appointed Vicki Jakubac and Becky Smith to an ad-hoc committee to review PCWD’s pay schedule with an eye towards bringing it up to the level of the other local water districts. They will discuss this with the GM and report back to the full board. This must be completed by May, when the new fiscal year budget is considered.

The Board considered and approved a vacation compensation package for Jensen Beri, cashing out ten days of vacation time and approving a week off. GM Potter noted that the hiring of Nathan Baldwin has brought staffing up to the point that Beri can take a well-earned break.

Office manager Jennifer Hayes provided an update on the consideration of a new billing system. Hayes said she is inclined to accept the offer by gWorks, the successor company to the district’s previous provider, UBMax. The meeting packet included two offers, one with higher up-front costs, the other with higher ongoing costs.

The GM’s Operations Report showed that water usage remains lower than the last two years as customers continue to conserve. Water loss was at recorded at 4.3% after accounting for one 20-gallon-per-minute leak. The static measuring well fell nearly three feet to 76.21 feet, about where it was this time last year. In dry years it has fallen as low as 130 feet before rising with spring runoff.

GM Potter continues to seek a solution to the poor transmission from the new “smart” meters, which rely on cellular technology. He will begin a trial project to install a “mesh” system on ten meters, selected from more remote locations such as Acorn Lane and Deer Path Road. A mesh system allows meters to send data between themselves until they reach a meter that can communicate directly with the office. This trial, provided by the same company that sold the district the Smart Earth Technologies package of meters and valves, will not cost the district anything and will continue until Potter is satisfied with the results. Until a solution is found, much of the meter reading will be done manually.

Potter also reported that the District’s Toyota Tacoma is back in service again. District employees installed a new engine, and with its rebuilt transmission, he believes it will serve for many years for a fraction of $45 thousand cost of a new vehicle.

Potter asked the board to consider budgeting for a third generator, a portable 50-kilowatt model to allow running additional wells during power outages.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12.