Federal government awards BCVWD $1.5 million for meter improvements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2020
Contact: Yolanda Rodriguez, 951-845-9581, info@bcvwd.org
Federal government awards BCVWD $1.5 million for meter improvements
Beaumont, CA – Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District (BCVWD) was awarded a $1.5 million WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant from the Bureau of Reclamation for its Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) project.
“Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District is honored to be chosen as a recipient for a WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant,” said General Manager Dan Jaggers. “Our entire community will benefit from metering upgrades, bringing the District increased efficiency and our customers real-time leak detection capability while saving water, electricity and reducing overall water cost to customers within our service area.”
The project will reduce BCVWD’s reliance on imported water and offset local groundwater pumping. The meters will allow automated reads and improve water conservation by increasing system-wide leak detection effectiveness. BCVWD expects an annual water savings of up to 900 acre-feet by recovering losses currently caused by inaccurate metering and system and on-site leaks. Switching to AMI meters will also increase efficiency, improve customer service, reduce costs and decrease fuel and carbon dioxide emissions.
“We are proud of the District’s efforts to secure funding to support this important project,” said Board President John Covington. “Upgrading our meter system will have significant positive impacts for both residents and the District, saving time, money and resources. We are excited to move forward in implementing these updates.”
The project to complete the upgrade of the more than 19,000 in-ground meters across the District’s service area will be completed in three phases. The total cost of the project is $5.7 million. BCVWD is working with the Bureau of Reclamation to develop a timeline for the project.
WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants aim to help organizations with water or power delivery authority leverage their resources on projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently, increase the production of hydropower, mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict, and accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability in the western United States.
Learn more about BCVWD at www.bcvwd.org. Learn more about the WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants at www.usbr.gov/watersmart.
###Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District was formed in 1919 and is governed by a publicly elected five-member Board of Directors. BCVWD is an independent special district that provides water service to 55,000 customers in a 28 square mile service area.