A few weeks ago, Don Shuler was living in Chicago, but yesterday, he said he’s now a Kaua‘i resident. Shuler, the project manager for Professional Meters Inc., is heading a team that started replacing Department of Water meters about three
A few weeks ago, Don Shuler was living in Chicago, but yesterday, he said he’s now a Kaua‘i resident.
Shuler, the project manager for Professional Meters Inc., is heading a team that started replacing Department of Water meters about three weeks ago.
“We rented a house in Kapa‘a, and I guess we’re residents, now,” Shuler said as he wrapped up a week’s work along Kuhio Highway in Lihu‘e.
According to a February county press release, the DOW announced that all water meters will be replaced on Kaua‘i to enhance customer service and increase meter reading efficiency.
This project is expected to be completed by September 2009, the release states.
Shuler said that when a meter is replaced, a transmitter is planted along with it.
Mick Magnin, a Maui resident who is working with PMI on the year-long project, said that the new meters will not replace the traditional meter reader, but rather will make that job easier.
“All the readers need to do is have their receiver handy and drive down the street,” Magnin said. “The transmitter will transmit the meter information to the receiver, eliminating the need for the readers to manually lift the heavy iron cover and physically record the meter reading.”
In addition to the transmitter, a GPS transponder is placed with the meter. This will help in locating the meter in the future.
Keith Fujimoto, the project manager for the DOW, said while the GPS will not give the exact location, it provides a reading to within 9 feet of the meter.
This was one of the issues that showed itself when the PMI crews set out to do the initial installations about three weeks ago.
“One of the meters was behind a fence that was moved,” Magnin said. “We had to go look for it, and nobody knew the fence had moved.”
Fujimoto said the crews started work on a pilot area which includes some of the older neighborhoods of Lihu‘e and portions of Kapa‘ia.
“This allows them a chance to see what kind of issues and problems they have to deal with before they get up to full steam,” he said.
As of yesterday afternoon, Fujimoto said about 70 percent of the Isenberg Tract and Fujii Camp have been completed.
The meter change-out will involve a shutdown of water service for about 20 minutes, the release states.
According to Shuler, that has proven to be about the most time it takes to do the change-out from the old meter.
“Some of the jobs are fast, but some of the jobs have had problems,” Shuler said. “On the average, the complete change-out has been within the 20-minute range.”
The release states that PMI will be notifying residents in each area approximately two weeks before the anticipated water shut-off, and residents do not have to be home during the meter replacement.
Fujimoto said the DOW is working on notification cards for the next area planned, Wailua Houselots. However, he said the area may be affected earlier than the two-week period, depending on how fast the PMI crews work.
He said the PMI crews will be working in the neighborhood behind Wilcox Memorial Hospital next week, and because Wilcox has a big water meter, the crews will tackle that job as well.
“We had a slow start,” Shuler said. “But when we are at full strength, we should have about five, or six crews which should be able to change about a hundred meters a day per crew.”
Shuler said when the project is completed, they will have replaced about 20,000 meters on Kaua‘i.
“I’ve been travelling all over the country doing this,” he said. “Living here for a year isn’t bad at all.”
If a water user’s situation is such that being without water service for 20 minutes poses a health risk, they should call PMI toll-free at 866-623-0784 to schedule an appointment for the replacement.
Additionally, the DOW is requesting assistance from the public with informing neighbors who are renters about the meter replacement program because the renters may not have received notice about the change-outs.
For more information, call the DOW at 245-5455.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
