Turner Valley administration is putting pressure on the remaining property owners needing to switch to new water meters, and cutting off the resource could be a last resort. For the last two years, the Town has been notifying residents and merchants to switch from the old water metering system to a new one that uses a transmitter to read data, yet 63 property owners have yet to contact the Town to make the switch, said Todd Sharpe, chief administrative officer. The project is estimated to cost $300,000 to replace meters on 536 homes and businesses in Turner Valley, with funds coming from the provincial gas tax grant and Town resources. “Staff will be taking a firm approach with those residents unless we get all 63 in compliance,” he said. “Our town bylaws indicate that if the customer isn’t compliant the town has the power to turn off the utility. That’s not anything that council or staff want to do, of course, if we can avoid it. “We would likely take other steps before we ever got to that point. We want to work with residents.” Since 2016, the Town sent out numerous notices informing property owners the program is in place and free of cost, encouraging them to set up an appointment for installation, Sharpe said. “We are confident that it was thorough enough,” he said. “Now we are taking a more direct approach.” Staff is now going door-to-door in hopes to make contact with the remaining property owners, said Sharpe. “We are hopeful to get in very shortly to make appointments and the remainder of the changes,” he said. “We’re going to explain the benefits and encourage them to make an appointment.” Sharpe said it’s hard to determine the reason behind the delay. He said some could be rental properties, others could be vacant and others could be choosing not to. “People haven’t been forthcoming with their reasons for non-compliance, they have just been absent or silent,” he said. “We assume the vast majority are because residents don’t want it or are suspicious of the Town’s intentions. We heard some anecdotal examples of that, but nothing formally.” Sharpe said the installations must be complete before the weather turns cold. He added that all property owners are required to make the change over - that it’s not an option. “The Town and council has been very patient for long enough,” he said. “We’ve been two plus years with this project and it’s time that we got wrapped up. We’re at the point where the town is going to take a firmer stance on those holding out.” For those refusing to comply, Sharpe said their water may be shut off. “It would be a situation where we executed all other measures in an effort to get these meters replaced before we would consider something like that,” he said. “We have other steps that would have to take place before we ever made that decision.” The old water meter system requires public works personnel to access homes, either inside or out, to collect readings every two months, Sharpe said. “There’s times where they can’t access them,” he said. “It causes a lag in meter readings, an inability for the town to project and understand water usage and, most importantly, to get an accurate picture of what the utility bill is going to be.” In some cases, the staff could encounter safety issues like aggressive dogs, debris or an unwelcoming resident. “Employee safety is a consideration,” Sharpe said. “We don’t know how welcoming and receptive the resident is either. There are all kinds of concerns around town staff entering private residences.” Sharpe added that the old system was inefficient, whereas the new system is accurate and helps determine any infrastructure issues like leaks and anomalies. “Many communities are moving this way,” he said. “It’s a more efficient and accurate way of reading meters.” Mayor Gary Rowntree is encouraging the remaining property owners to contact the Town to set up an appointment. “Those people who have yet to respond to the Town, I would encourage them to do so it will make our whole system more efficient for all of those involved,” he said. “You always hope that residents will understand water metering is based on a user pay system and it helps us to conserve our water. It’s a very important commodity and there has to be a lot more respect for water and the use of water.”
