Water meters set to trickle into Marysville

May will mark the beginning of a 10-year effort on the part of California Water Service Company to install water meters throughout Marysville.

State law now requires all water customers to use meters designed to encourage water conservation. Conversions must be completed by 2025.

Marysville currently has approximately 2,500 non-metered customers who are billed at a flat rate.

Marysville District Manager Lee Seidel said Cal Water will install meters at those locations, at the rate of about 250 per year. Marysville will be in full compliance of the new standards, he said, by 2018.

"Customers will save money with the meters, as long as they make sure there are no leaks and they don't keep water running," Seidel said.

California's third year of drought conditions has led both state and federal officials to take a series of conservation and funding measures.

The California Department of Water Resources established a drought water bank this year by purchasing water upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and making it available where shortages occur elsewhere in the state.

A new Save Our Water Campaign aims to spread the word about water conservation, via education and outreach efforts.

And Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently announced a $40 million package for the state to provide immediate drought relief and help prevent future shortages through water banking and other measures. The money is part of federal stimulus funds.

Marysville water customers who currently are without meters to measure usage will be notified about a week prior to Cal Water's installation schedule.

The process, Seidel said, "will involve digging up the casing, cutting the pipe and setting up a traditional meter box near the sidewalk."

Customers may be without water for up to an hour during installation.

According to Cal Water, the installation of meters results in the conservation of 10-12 percent of water use, on average, by allowing customers to track their consumption of the now-precious commodity.

Customers will not be charged for the meters or their installation, Seidel said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Nancy Pasternack at 749-4712 or at npasternack@appealdemocrat.com.