MEDIA RELEASE 28 May 2007

Most homes now have high-tech meters

The program to install cutting-edge water meters to every home in Hervey Bay has passed the halfway point, according to Wide Bay Water Corporation.

"We've installed nearly 11,000 of the meters and expect the remaining 9,000 will be in place by the end of October," said WBWC Chief Executive Officer Tim Waldron.

"Homes in Burrum Heads, Torbanlea, Howard, Dundowran, Craignish, part of Pialba and Point Vernon have already been fitted and the teams are currently working in Scarness," he said.

Residents receive a leaflet in the week prior to the work notifying them of the upgrade which normally takes less than an hour.

Mr Waldron said the installation was being closely watched by other Australian water businesses as well as water authorities around the world.

"The interest in this program is enormous because the technology has never been used on this scale in this way," he said. "By measuring time of use and the volume of water used we'll be able to collect data that has tremendous potential for eliminating water leaks, managing flows and measuring the impact of various kinds of water use."

He said one area of particular interest was leak management. With WBWC already a leader in this area, Mr Waldron said the technology would enable WBWC to not only better manage leakage in its own system but also to identify leaks within customers' internal plumbing.

"Given that a typical Australian water authority might lose anywhere up to 25% of its water supply through leaks this is a major development in the area of leak management," he said. "Good water management is not exclusively about finding additional water sources - it's about making the most of what we already have."

The data from the meters will be downloaded using wireless technology in specially fitted vehicles which will reduce the time taken to read the city's meters from three months to a matter of days.

The project attracted Federal Government National Water Initiative funding of $2.6million and state government funding of $930,000 leaving WBWC with minimal costs which means residents will not be billed for the meters.

For more details phone Denis Heron, Wide Bay Water Corporation on 1300 808 888.