POCATELLO — All of Pocatello’s water meter usage in the next few years will be monitored without a city employee ever setting foot on your property.

    Pocatello city crews are continuing to install radio transmitters on ratepayer’s meters and should complete the process by 2019. Currently, about 8,400 of the city’s roughly 18,000 water meters have the radio transmitter installed. Crews are expected to install about 2,000 more transmitters this year.

    “These Electronic Reading Transmitters allow us to get a more accurate read and takes out the possibility of human error,” says Cindy Robbins, utility billing director for the city of Pocatello.

    The new transmitters allow crews to drive down the road and read the meter rather than stop at each home.

    “Some meters are in backyards and some are covered by yard features. The new transmitters are great in that they let city employees get a read without setting foot on the property,” said Robbins.

    The transmitters are  part of the water department’s 5-year, $2 million capital improvement program. The transmitters should last 20 years and cost $75 per unit.

    “We typically install the transmitter when we replace a water meter,” said Justin Armstrong, Water Department superintendent. “They are great, because now, we can track water consumption accurately throughout the winter months, where water usage was estimated until a spring pickup reading. Manual meter readings are not taken in the winter due to potential freezing risks to the meter.”