Water Meters Upgrades Boost Accuracy and Customer Control
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Tara Bravo Mulally
(510) 300-5843 tara@cvstrat.com
May 16, 2025
Water Meters Upgrades Boost Accuracy and Customer Control
Beaumont, CA — Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District (BCVWD) is nearing completion of its Automated Meter Reading (AMR) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, effectively modernizing its water management systems. While substantial progress has been made, BCVWD is moving forward with additional enhancements to further improve service.
Plans include the potential installation of more Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) stations to expand coverage and ongoing efforts to streamline the billing process by leveraging newly available data. The District’s IT team is also developing a customer-facing application that will allow real-time water usage monitoring and personalized alert settings, giving customers more control and insight into their water consumption.
“This capital improvement project represents a major step forward for our District and the community,” said Director Andy Ramirez. “The grant funding, combined with the hard work of our staff and the cooperation of the Bureau of Reclamation, allowed us to deliver this essential upgrade while staying on budget and improving our water system’s reliability.”
Since its launch in 2015, the AMR/AMI project has successfully replaced over 21,800 water meters, transitioning from manual to advanced smart metering technology. Between 2015 and 2019, BCVWD installed 4,957 smart meters.
After receiving a $1.5 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in 2019, the District ordered the meters and materials needed to complete the project within three years. However, when COVID-19 emerged in 2020, the pandemic caused severe supply chain disruptions, delaying deliveries and installations. Some items were on back order for over a year.
Despite these challenges, the District converted newer meters to be AMR/AMI compatible during this time, and with guidance and flexibility from the BOR—who approved extension requests for the project twice—BCVWD completed the installation of all devices in early 2024. By spreading the project out over a longer period, the District was able to rely on staff to perform much of the work initially planned for contractors, resulting in substantial cost savings. Originally estimated at $5.7 million, the total project cost is now approximately $4.1 million before the grant reduction.
The District has already seen remarkable benefits from the project. Over time, traditional water meters tend to lose accuracy, often underreporting water usage. With new, precise meters and concurrent pipeline replacement efforts, BCVWD has reduced water losses from approximately 10% to just 5%. This improvement allows the District to plan for the community’s long-term water needs more accurately.
“This system not only empowers our customers but also enhances how we manage water resources for our community,” said BCVWD Board Director Lona Williams. “The District is proud of the progress we’ve made and looks forward to continuing to optimize and expand the benefits of AMI technology.”
The AMI system’s advanced capabilities include frequent, high-resolution data readings and remote management. Once fully optimized, customers will enjoy:
- Real-time water usage monitoring
- Customized consumption alerts
- Tools to estimate and manage bills more accurately
For more information on the AMR/AMI project or other initiatives by BCVWD, visit bcvwd.gov.
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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 59,000 customers in a 28-square-mile service area.
Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District
560 Magnolia Avenue, Beaumont, CA 92223
https://bcvwd.gov