DeKalb upgrades water meters amid billing issues

DeKalb Director of Watershed Management Scott Towler shows the county’s new smart water meters Tuesday. These meters will be installed across the county and transmit water usage information as part of an effort to improve water billing accuracy. (MARK NIESSE / MARK.NIESSE@AJC.COM)

DeKalb Director of Watershed Management Scott Towler shows the county’s new smart water meters Tuesday. These meters will be installed across the county and transmit water usage information as part of an effort to improve water billing accuracy. (MARK NIESSE / MARK.NIESSE@AJC.COM)

The days of government employees who read water meters in person are numbered in DeKalb County.

As residents have complained about sharp spikes in their water bills, DeKalb is speeding up plans to install water meters that wirelessly transmit consumption information from every household in the county.

The new meters will be more accurate, and they'll allow the county to remotely view water flows to residences when trying to isolate water usage issues.

DeKalb plans to install 40,000 of the smart meters annually until all of the county’s 180,000 residential meters are upgraded. The meter replacement program will cost about $30 million.