LAWTON – The city’s Meter Services Division is making progress in its program to replace residential and commercial water meters, such as the faulty unit that leaked into a residential garage for 42 days.
Since last fall, the division has been working on replacing nearly 2,000 aging meters throughout the city. Currently, crews are operating west of 17th Street between NW Euclid Avenue and NW Arlington Avenue, according to city spokesperson Caitlin Gatlin.
The decision to replace meters is driven by industry standards based on usage or years in service, she said. Commercial meters, for example, are recommended for replacement after 10 years or upon reaching more than two million gallons of water usage. Similarly, residential meters are recommended for replacement after 15 years or upon exceeding one million gallons of water usage.
The transition from old mechanical piston- type meters to new ultrasonic meters “marks a significant technological advancement,” Gatlin said.
Ultrasonic meters have no moving parts, leading to reduced wear and enhanced longevity, said Mark Moore, superintendent of the Meter Services Division. With sensors accurately measuring water flow, “These meters come with a 20-year accuracy warranty, unlike their piston-type counterparts, which offer just a one-year warranty or a million gallons, whichever comes first,” he said.
By using ultrasonic meters, with their lengthy accuracy warranty and absence of moving parts, “We are ensuring accuracy and reliability of our water meters, which should provide peace of mind for the citizens of Lawton.”
As the meter replacement program continues, the city does no t anticipate prolonged water disruptions because interruptions typically last between 5 to 10 minutes, Moore said. Any residual air in the lines dissipates as water is restored to normal flow, he said.
Just last week the City Council paid $1,100 on a damage claim attributed to a faulty residential water meter that leaked for nearly a month and a half because the source of the problem was hard to find.
Rebekah Carne submitted a claim to City Hall for damage to rental property at 4526 NE Highlander Circle that occurred during a 42-day water leak.
Carne reported that on Oct. 10, 2023, she discovered water in the garage at the rental property, and she turned off the water at the meter “in or der to get some work done and to prep for winter.”
However, “the pipes kept leaking,” she said. A plumber told her on Nov. 6 that the le ak was not in her water line, it was leaking past the meter. Later that day she called Water Distribution to report water “bleeding past the meter ” and leaking into the garage.
Water Distribution personnel went to the property on Nov. 7 and again Dec. 6.
Carne called City Hall again on Dec. 15 to report that water was still seeping into the garage. She told a scheduler that a plumber “checked it out” and found that her shutoff valve “was all the way off and it was still leaking and continuing to cause damage in her garage” that she couldn’t repair until the problem was fixed at the meter.
A city crew returned to the house on Dec. 19, 2023, and changed out the angle valve on the water meter, which stopped the leak.
It took more than a month to fix the leak because city crews “checked and couldn’t find any leak outside; it was inside,” Public Utilities Director Rusty Whisenhunt told Southwest Ledger. “And they couldn’t find the problem with the angle valve until the meter was disassembled.”
The Meter Services Division is tasked with fixing water leaks in Lawton but is “short six people, which is about one-third of their workforce,” Whisenhunt said.
“We get somebody hired and get them trained, and then they jump ship to someplace where they can make more money.” And getting someone hired is a problem in itself because many applicants don’t pass the drug screen or won’t even report for a drug screen, he said.