The Woburn City Council in Massachusetts recently approved a $6 million bond authorization to pay for the installation of new water meters at residential homes. The new meters will help curb high water bills due to inaccurate readings from antiquated meters, while encouraging responsible water use and increasing water delivery efficiency.
The Woburn Patch reported the $6 million will pay for the water meter program, but the council retains the power to reduce the price of the program if it decides to have residents chip in on the initiative. If the city does not implement new residential water meters, it faces potential fines from the state government.
Similarly, the city of Hamilton, Ontario, is also looking more closely at its residential water system. The city is releasing 132,000 notices to residential water and sewer customers warning them that any altering of water meters to reduce their water bills is a crime and they could face fines, The Spec reported.
Local authorities believe dozens of homeowners in Hamilton are looking for ways to reduce their water bills and save money by tampering with their installed meters. More than 100 residential accounts were found to have been tampered with in 2011, and law enforcement is working to prevent the incidents with the issuance of fines up to $300,000, The Hamilton Spectator reported.
