Volusia County Saves Residents Money and Water Through Advanced Metering System

Posted On: April 18, 2024

April marks Water Conservation Month and Volusia County's Water Resources & Utilities (WRU) division continues to increase efforts to help customers prevent overuse of water and avoid expensive water bills. Volusia County WRU, serving a population of 44,100 people, utilizes an advanced metering system that enables customer support staff to notify residents and business owners when their water meter is measuring continuous use or unusually high consumption. Notifications to customers occur when meters measure continuous use for 24 hours or significantly above average use during a 72-hour period.

In 2023, WRU alerted 3,279 customers of continuous water use and 672 for high consumption. During the first quarter of 2024, approximately 575 continuous water use alerts and 96 high consumption alerts have been issued. After a WRU representative contacts the customer regarding this anomaly, they use a leak checklist to help diagnose the potential cause. These measures can not only prevent high water bills but also avoid potential property damage. In addition, they serve to work towards a universally shared goal of water conservation.

"The county's meter system monitoring and notification process helps our customers avoid costly utility bills and allows us to shift focus away from the cost of water. Instead, we can use it as an opportunity to spotlight the value of it," said Michael Ulrich, director of Volusia County WRU. "Our groundwater is a shared resource, and we can all share in the responsibility to protect it."

To view the leak detection checklist or to learn more about Volusia County WRU, visit www.volusia.org/water.