Long Beach Water Announces Free Smart Water Meter Installation Program

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners approved a new program for the first one hundred Long Beach residents to sign up to receive a free smart water meter installation. Smart meters help customers track their daily water consumption through a secure website.

“As California enters its fourth year of drought, Long Beach is experimenting with new technology to help secure our water supply,” said Harry Saltzgaver, President of the Board of Water Commissioners. “This cutting-edge technology can give customers the ability to understand their water use in hopes they will find new ways to conserve water.”

The smart meter register is installed over a residence’s existing water meter and collects water consumption data in five-minute increments. The data is downloaded to a website that each resident will be given private access to view their daily water use.

The smart meters can help customers identify high spikes of water use or can help identify a possible leak.

The smart meters can also be installed on existing meters on households and businesses that have received multiple water violation letters from the Long Beach Water Department.

“The smart meters will not only help our customers improve understanding of their own water consumption, but they can also help us investigate water violations that have been brought to our attention,” said Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “The new meters will assist Long Beach with our conservation efforts by helping us recognize water waste throughout the City.”

“This technology is a cost-effective way to help us identify water violations and predict when they will most likely occur,” added Wattier.

The introduction of smart meters to the City of Long Beach comes as Sierra Nevada snowpack levels reach historic lows and overall statewide water consumption has not reached Governor Brown’s 20 percent reduction goal.

Residents interested in receiving a smart meter can read the terms and conditions and sign up online starting today at www.lbwater.org/smart-meter-program. Meters are being given on a first-come, first-served basis to the first one hundred customers who sign up with a valid email address.

Long Beach Water is an urban, Southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.