County to complete meter replacements in phases over the next two years

Forsyth County Department of Water & Sewer (FCDWS) will be installing new water meters at customers’ homes and businesses across the County over the next two years.

“Forsyth County is committed to providing innovative solutions that support our community’s high quality of life,” said Water & Sewer Director Barry Lucas. “With many of our existing automated meters reaching the end of their useful life, we have the opportunity to replace our system over a two plus year period with an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system that will help us better serve our more than 66,000 customers.”

When installed, the AMI meters will provide customers with near real-time access to information about their water usage to help better manage water use and costs. AMI systems use remote reading technology that gathers consumption information accurately, more frequently and more efficiently. A secure online portal will also be made available for customers to easily track water use over any period of time and be alerted to leaks or unusual water usage.

The new water meters are in line with Forsyth County’s commitment to serving customers in the most cost effective and operationally efficient manner possible. Prior to initiating this program, the County completed a comprehensive analysis that found the cost of implementing an AMI system will be offset by operational efficiencies and paid out of enterprise (non-tax) funds.

The rollout of the new meters will occur in phases with the first phase beginning summer 2022. Customers will be notified with a letter roughly four weeks before their meter is installed, followed by a postcard roughly two weeks prior to installation. Both will include instructions to help customers prepare for the installation. Customers do not need to be home when the new water meter is installed.

This project will impact the majority of FCDWS customers. However, customers who have had their water meter replaced in 2019 or later have already received an AMI meter and will not receive a new one.

For more information concerning the project, visit forsythco.com/meterupgrades.