Wisps of water spray as crews sand blast the one million gallon water tower along I-10 and Causeway Blvd. in Metairie can be seen on the giant curtain used to shield the structure on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Every 15 years the Jefferson Parish Water Department overhauls the tower. This year there are plans to repaint it a different color and to add the parish logo. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Wisps of water spray as crews sand blast the one million gallon water tower along I-10 and Causeway Blvd. in Metairie can be seen on the giant curtain used to shield the structure on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Every 15 years the Jefferson Parish Water Department overhauls the tower. This year there are plans to repaint it a different color and to add the parish logo. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) Electricity Meter
Starting next year, Jefferson Parish will embark on a four-year-long effort to replace water meters at nearly every home and business in the parish.
The new "smart" meters will include technology that will allow users to monitor their water consumption through a smartphone app.
To fund the project — which is expected to cost around $88 million — the Parish Council in 2021 approved a gradual rate hike that over the next two decades will raise $2.3 billion for upgrades to the aging water and sewer infrastructure.
"We’re trying to build a better, more up-to-date water system and this is just one part of it," said Sidney Bazley, the parish's water director.
Many of the water meters were installed in the 1950s and '60s, when the parish experienced a population boom. With age, those meters have become less accurate.
On Wednesday, the Parish Council awarded Luling-based Pedal Valves, Inc. the opportunity to negotiate a contract to source and install the new meters. The firm received the highest score among the four contractors who submitted proposals.
Residents in Grand Isle and Jean Lafitte, as well as commercial users parish-wide, will be the first to get the new meters, said Mark Drewes, director of public works for Jefferson Parish. Those installations will likely begin in May 2024.
After that, the parish will move on to homes in Kenner, Woodmere and Harvey, Bazely said.
The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is in the process of rolling out its own new smart meters. That effort is expected to last around three years, with the first meters coming online in 2024.
In total, Jefferson Parish plans to replace around 144,000 meters. The effort won't include the city of Westwego, which maintains its own water system. It also excludes the city of Gretna, except the Timberlane Subdivision, which still relies on the parish.
Before it can move forward, the parish needs to select a vendor to provide the technology that will allow the new meters to communicate water usage rates remotely. The solicitation process will start in the coming weeks.
The new meters will do away with in-person readings. Due to labor shortages, the parish has relied on a contractor for much of its meter reading operations.
Water bills in Grand Isle and Jean Lafitte have been based on estimates ever since Hurricane Ida. That's because the parish hasn't had the manpower to dig out the meters there, which were covered by mud and sand from the storm.
The administration led by Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng will negotiate a contract with Pedal Valves, Inc. and present it to the Parish Council for approval. The company submitted a $59.9 million proposal, though the value of the contract could change through negotiations.
Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter, @blakepater.
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