DIXON – New residential water meters are coming soon, and the southwest side of town is slated to get the first round of replacements.

The city's $3 million project will upgrade all meters to Sensus iPerl meters, which allow for more accurate reads and an advanced metering infrastructure, with measurements transmitted wirelessly.

More than 70 percent of existing meters are past their life expectancy, and it's estimated that the city loses at least $300,000 in water revenue annually because of inaccurate reads.

The city contracted with Core & Main in November for the project, and the meters will be installed by Morris-based United Meters Inc.

United Meters will be reaching out to residents to set up appointments to install the meters, and it will take about 9 months to a year to get to everyone.

Meters will be replaced in one section of the city at a time, starting with the southwest side, then the northeast followed by the northwest and southeast sides, City Manager Danny Langloss said Tuesday.

Installers will wear city of Dixon badges, and their photos and names are posted on the city website. Background checks were done on all installers, and they are not permitted to enter a home unless someone 18 or older is present.

Residents eventually will switch to monthly billing, which could happen as soon as February for those in the first round.

The City Council will need to approve an ordinance change to go to monthly billing, and the vote likely will happen Monday so the project isn't delayed.

Residents could see an uptick in their bills because the water use is going to be measured more accurately.

Once monthly billing starts, there will be a 60 cent fee for those receiving paper bills, but that will be waived if they sign up for online billing.

MORE INFO

Go to discoverdixon.org for more information on the water meter project, including frequently asked questions and pictures of the installers.

Residents with questions can call City Hall at 815-288-1485.