On July 19, our Communications staff rode out with the city’s water meter technicians to share info about meter reading as well as everything else they do to maintain & repair the city’s meters. Providing quality customer service is their No. 1 goal.
Good morning TC! Welcome to another live-tweet event featuring a ride-along #InTheField with Gary from your Water Distribution Department. pic.twitter.com/asJPreIm2M
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Today we’ll be sharing with you a typical day in the life of a water meter technician. If you’ve got questions, feel free to reply below. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Gary’s first stop today is replacing a broken angle stop at a resident’s water meter. The angle stop is the mechanism that essentially turns the water on or off at the curbside connection. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/kxz0yG968W
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Cleaning out dirt and debris from the meter boxes is a common issue water meter techs must address so they can reach all the components. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
To replace an angle stop, technicians must disconnect the meters and remove them first. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/MJlulcSRpd
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Removing the old angle stop releases water from the main line. Techs have to fight the pressure to manually attach the new angle stop. pic.twitter.com/UeFLKS2cZW
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Then they pump out the water, tighten and line up the new stop, and reattach the meters. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/3FIeR0gStR
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Gary and his team move on to the next job of replacing a broken 5/8 water meter, illustrating how meter techs do much more than read meters. They for check leaks and fix things, including after-hours emergencies #InTheField. pic.twitter.com/kqNYcuk2lN
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
The city processes between 600 to 800 water service orders each month, from repairs such as this one to meter checks, leak checks, move-ins, move-outs, and service restores. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/1dqte45JtO
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
En route to the next job, Gary got called to an area of new road construction to troubleshoot the water service of a nearby existing business. Once again he’s got to dig out mud and sift through water. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/RhXQlt76Tb
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
“That’s one of the things I like about this job. Each day is different,” Gary says. Aside, he and most other meter techs are licensed by the TCEQ and must complete continuing education over time to retain the license. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Rescuing small frogs from the meter boxes isn’t part of the job description but Gary is happy to do it. Can you see it? #InTheField pic.twitter.com/IZPFRME6uU
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
This particular job #InTheField involves an irrigation system. Many residents have been watering their lawns more now that the weather is heating up. Be sure to check out our water usage tips online: https://t.co/P03x001MIz
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
And we’re back #InTheField after a short break for lunch, headed to the next job. pic.twitter.com/wJspDkFcMJ
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Meter techs coordinate with Public Works when street and sidewalk repairs affect the grade of existing meter boxes. Gary and Dylan now have to replace a box and level it with the new curb. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/Ak06RdMC28
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
They’ll dig out the old box, backfill it, then level it out. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/ofKZoTlP3Y
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Noticeably absent from Gary’s day so far is meter reading. That’s because his routes were recently completed for the month and today is about service orders. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/LKQwoLlcQP
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Typically, however, Gary reads between 500 and 900 meters per day when #InTheField. The vast majority of meters in city are read by hand but there are about 2K radio-transmitted reads which provide graphs of usage.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Misreads #InTheField do happen on occasion, especially if rainwater or dirt affects visibility. Customers are encouraged to contact Utility Billing if they have any questions about their usage data: https://t.co/2z5XhwP32C
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Other techs are in #InTheField today performing re-reads. Any necessary adjustments are made the next billing cycle, and are often caught internally by staff when comparing data month to month before bills even go out.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
The next stop is a leak check requested by a resident. Gary checks the meter box for water and waits a bit to see if the meter is spinning. If it’s not, he’ll cut off the main briefly and perform a pressure test, too. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/Kk58JYtDSi
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
In this case, Gary doesn’t see any evidence of a leak. He’ll communicate his findings with the homeowner and provide suggestions for where the usage data may be coming from, such as frequent sprinkler use, which is a common cause of high water usage during the summer. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
Water meter techs #InTheField are also charged with installing new water meters at homes under construction. The builder has laid the water line already, it just needs connecting to the system. pic.twitter.com/tK5YTbwNyd
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
When connected it’ll look like this! pic.twitter.com/e2KoBREy6a
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
We hope you’ve enjoyed our rideout today and that you found it informative. If you see Gary or any of our meter techs #InTheField, don’t hesitate to say Hi 👋🏼😊. They’re happy to chat and take your questions. pic.twitter.com/tvv6x8EQ6F
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) July 19, 2019
The Colony, Texas 