Houston City Council Approves Millions For Water Meters
- A big point of sensitivity for us has been water bills and our water bills have had problems related to the equipment in the ground, Houston Public Works...
- The newly approved funds draw directly from the Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund.
- City officials trace the expanded agreement back to an initial 10-year contract awarded on November 24, 2020, with a maximum contract amount of $38 million.
A big point of sensitivity for us has been water bills and our water bills have had problems related to the equipment in the ground,
Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi said, Click2Houston reported. On Wednesday, the Houston City Council unanimously approved an additional $5.5 million to upgrade the city’s water meter infrastructure.
Expanding Sensus Contract to Address Meter Failures
The newly approved funds draw directly from the Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund. The money flows into the city’s existing contract with Sensus USA, Inc. to purchase remote reading devices for Advanced Metering Infrastructure systems. This latest appropriation pushes the total contract value to $43.5 million.
Houston City Council to vote on $5.5M boost for smart water meter system pic.twitter.com/iPCigdCl7y
City officials trace the expanded agreement back to an initial 10-year contract awarded on November 24, 2020, with a maximum contract amount of $38 million. City council previously approved an additional $16 million in October 2024 without raising that overall contract cap. Houston Public Works states that mounting material costs, higher equipment pricing, and rising operating expenses forced the latest funding increase.
Tackling Thirty Million Dollars in Unpaid Water Bills
Council Member Twila Carter, At-Large Position 3, pointed to systemic billing failures as a driving force behind the unanimous vote. We have all heard about the $30M in unpaid water bills and of course the hundreds of Houstonians reporting outrageous water bills due to faulty meters,
Carter said.
City data shows approximately 15,000 customers collectively owe about $30 million in unpaid charges. Public Works reports that 32 billion gallons of water go unaccounted for across Houston every year. Officials expect the new remote sensors to curb these losses by transmitting precise usage metrics.
Replacing Thousands of Aging Meters Across Houston
Houston currently operates with 500,000 water meters in the ground, many approaching the end of their standard 20-year lifespan. Public Works reports that these aging units are failing at an accelerated rate. Since 2024, crews have replaced 30,000 meters, leaving at least 300,000 more awaiting replacement.
On the sensor side, workers have already installed or replaced about 230,000 devices, with active installation underway on another 10,000 units. Customers receive notifications when their hardware is swapped, and city teams monitor the fresh equipment to catch anomalies early.
Sustaining Meter Operations Through 2030
The newly injected capital is scheduled to sustain meter and sensor operations through the end of 2027. The overarching contract with Sensus USA runs through 2030. Macchi indicated that city leadership may request further appropriations in 2027 if equipment expenses continue to climb.