Plano Faces Major Water Meter System Failure, Costing Hundreds of Thousands
A significant technology failure has led to the collapse of Plano’s entire water meter system, resulting in hefty expenses for the city. Plano will have to spend up to $765,000 over the next two years to hire temporary workers to manually read about 88,000 water meters, ensuring accurate billing for its customers.
The issue seems to stem from problems with the transmission technology provided by Aclara, a company that many cities across North America have also reported issues with. The city council recently approved this emergency funding to cope with the situation.
Typically, Aclara’s technology functions by using transmission units to send readings from water meters to data collectors, allowing for the automated calculation of water bills. This system was designed to eliminate the need for staff to physically collect data by walking the routes.
In 2019, Plano entered a $10.2 million contract with Core & Main LP for Aclara’s transmission units, which was extended in 2021. These units are designed to last around 20 years, but city officials noticed problems with the units as early as November 2023, when the batteries started to drain prematurely and readings were not being sent out.
After a year of investigation, a software update intended to rectify the issue was released in November 2024, but it ended up malfunctioning. This caused over 73,000 of the transmission units to stop working entirely, leading to a complete system failure.
According to Steve Stoler, Plano’s media relations director, the issue lies with the transmission units and not the water meters themselves. The city is actively looking into the problem and aims to hold the responsible parties accountable for these unexpected costs.
Currently, around 20 staff members are needed to read the meters by hand, but the city’s Customer & Utility Services division only has six technicians available. As a result, the city council approved $345,000 this fiscal year and $420,000 for the next to cover costs through a local staffing agency in McKinney.
The funding for this temporary staffing will come from the city’s water and sewer finances. Other cities, like Minneapolis and Toronto, have faced similar challenges with Aclara technology, leading to millions being spent on repairs and replacements.
As of now, Plano officials have not commented on plans for replacing the defective transmission units or whether residents’ water bills have been impacted. Both Aclara and Core & Main have yet to respond to requests for further information.
