We have had an intense discussion on the topic of “smart” water meters on the pages of Ponoka News over the last two editions.
While the topic discussed is certainly important, because the discussion turned a little sour due to personalization of the issue and the fact that expressed positions became repetitive, we have received some complaints and decided to give it a pause with the last letter to the editor we are printing next to this column, with the emphasis that this letter brings a new perspective to the debate.
In this week’s edition, you can also read a letter from Neptune Technologies explaining their position on the microwave concerns among the users of their meters as well as a factsheet from the town that responds to some of the concerns raised in the course of the discussion over the last two weeks.
Will the explanations given in the two texts satisfy those who doubt that the switch to the smart meters is a good idea?
We are in no position to respond to this question; while some may find the answers plausible enough to put their suspicions to rest, while others may find them partially or totally inadequate in terms of allaying their concerns.
And it is probably fair to say that the debate will continue for quite some time as it is understood to be an ongoing hot topic in the community: Town officials say their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document received more than 1800 clicks on their website.
The debate itself aside, what should we learn from this process that apparently caused anger, frustration and concern within the community?
First and foremost, one would be inclined to think that there has clearly been a lack of communication leading to a lot of misunderstanding.
Take, for instance, the statement in town fact sheet that the water meters in our homes are owned by the town. Even this statement itself can be the basis of several questions:
- How many homeowners know that their water meters are not their but town’s property?
- If the town is replacing what it owns, will the replacement bring any cost to homeowners, if yes, why? If not, why has this message not been clearly communicated to homeowners?
- There have been concerns of frequent malfunctioning of Neptune smart meters; has the town, being the owners and allocating taxpayers’ money for their replacement, ensured that there are satisfactory warranty provisions in their contract?
Then there is, of course, the wider question of why and how Neptune Technologies was selected for the contract, for which no answer has been given; which brings us to the issue of transparency.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding the quality and operation of new water meters, one would think that a project of such magnitude should have been better pronounced and explained to the community before beginning implementation, including by foreseeing the possible matters that could arise and preparing answers for those questions.
As for Neptune Technologies, in their letter, they only address the microwave concerns with regard to their smart meters, but they do not even touch upon the durability of their product and do not make any attempt to inform the public about how sound their technology works.
One would expect to hear from the company some statistics as to how many meters they have installed and how many they had to replace or reinstall.
Town, with both the elected leadership and management, will have to act more proactively to soothe the public anger over new water meters.