LCRA representatives present a $13,517 grant to Hays County WCID 1 and $7,514 to Hays County WCID 2 to help replace water meters with more advanced models and add a customer portal. The grants are part of LCRA’s Firm Water Conservation Cost-Share Program. Pictured above, from left to right, are: George W. Russell, LCRA Board member; Doug Botts, Hays County WCID 1 board president; and Kristi Hester, Hays County WCID 1 & 2 district manager. Photo submitted by the Lower Colorado River Authority
LCRA awards $21,031 for new advanced water meters in Hays County
Hays County Water Control and Improvement Districts 1 & 2 will replace water meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, including a customer portal, with help from $21,031 in grants from the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The grants will help Hays County WCID 1 & 2 complete a $543,000 project to replace 1,274 water meters with more advanced models and add a customer portal for all 1,850 connections. Customers will be able to use the portal to detect leaks and high water use with customized alerts.
“Over the next three years, our plan includes replacement of all the traditional water meters in Belterra with AMI meters,” said Kristi Hester, Hays County WCID 1 & 2 district manager. “This will provide customers with access to round-the-clock readings of their own meters and alert them to anomalies that may indicate a leak. With this new infrastructure technology, we are in a position to make significant strides in customer service, water conservation, leak discovery and operational improvements.”
The districts began installing the AMI system in May 2019 and expect the project to be complete in 2021. The project is expected to save about 18 acre-feet, or roughly 5.91 million gallons, of water from the Highland Lakes annually.
“The Highland Lakes are a major water supply for Central Texas,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of Water. “Establishing good water conservation practices and putting more efficient, water-saving technology in place is important to help manage our water supply in the future. We are pleased to partner with Hays County WCID 1 & 2 to help get the new advanced meter program up and running.”
The grants are awarded through LCRA’s Firm Water Conservation Cost-Share Program, which provides funding for water efficiency projects and programs established by LCRA’s firm water customers. Customers include cities, utilities, industries, irrigation and recreational water users. Projects funded through the program include converting irrigated areas using raw or potable water to recycled water, and decreasing utility system water loss, such as flushing reductions or leak detection and repair.
