Water boxes to be locked

[ensho]

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/aug/10/water-boxes-to-be-locked/


Dorchester authority to block shutoff valves


The Dorchester County Water Authority will begin locking its water meter boxes, which also hold shut-off valves. The moves angers at least some of its 7,000 customers, who say they need access to the valves in case of an emergency.

The locks are being put on as security as the authority installs radio-read meters, said Bob Hensley, authority administrator. The readers allow the meters to be read electronically without opening the box.

-snip-

"We want to give our customers as much time as possible to put in their own water (shut-off) valves," he said. The company also has a 24-hour phone number for customers who want a crew to shut off their line.

"That's real nice of them. They want me to spend a couple hundred dollars to save them some money. They're supposed to be a public service agency," said Bob Smithem, who lives in the Pine Forest subdivision in Summerville.
-snip-
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[DURHAM D]

1. The rewrite -

The Dorchester County Water Authority made a mistake when they installed the new digital meters. They are prone to error. We are aware the errors always result in over-billing for our users. As consumers you are opening the vaults, recording the mistakes and demanding refunds. We can not have this. Therefore, we are locking up the information.

If you have a waterline break on your side of the meter you will not be able to shut off your water. You will be required to call the Water Authority. Whatever water is wasted you will have to pay for. We will not be in a hurry to get out there and turn off the water because we need that money to pay for the new meters.

BTW - in the future you will need to pay cash to the Water Authority representative that comes to your house. Please keep at least $250 in cash on hand at all times.

[ensho]

2. cripe!

nt

[wysimdnwyg]

3. +1

nt

[JimDandy]

4. Now THIS should be a reason for them to riot. Rec'd the OP for your rewrite

[Robb]

5. Why doesn't local code require a shutoff valve inside the house?

[DURHAM D]

6. It might. But that is not really the issue.

Any break that occurs on the house/building side of the meter is the responsibility of the individual owner. In my case the distance from my side of the meter to the inside shut off is about 90 feet. Sure I can turn off the water at my house but with the vault locked I can not turn off the water from the street (meter) to the house and that flood would cause me all sorts of problems/damage.

[drpepper67]

7. Home owners are going to have to dig down on there side of the Meter box

And install a shut off, or have someone else do it for $$$.

[DURHAM D]

9. True.

And you need to get it done right away before the "Authorities" make it impossible to get in your vault.

[Robb]

8. Not trying to side with the water company, or anything.

Three generations of plumbers in the family. Just trying to figure out, in that 90 feet from the meter to the house, what's the likelihood of that 90 feet of (presumably) buried pipe having problems on its own? The lion's share of failures happen at joints and fixtures.

[DURHAM D]

10. Less than the fittings but things do happen.

I have twice had the waterline repaired from the meter to the house (two different houses). Also, the drought is causing waterline problems in some parts of the country.

My house is less than 20 years old and my next door neighbor (slightly newer home) has already had to repair his waterline to the house.

Even more interesting - the City just replaced about 200 yards of the 21 year old main sewer line out in my street. I asked the City Supervisor why the sewer lasted such a short time and he just shook his head and said because of the new bond election they were busy doing all sorts of waterline/sewer line/storm water work.