Over 40,000 Richmond water meters at or past expected lifetimes

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Over 40,000 of Richmond's water meters are at or past their expected lifetimes, potentially compromising their accuracy.

Scott Morris, director of the city's Department of Public Utilities (DPU), provided an update on how his agency is working to address issues associated with January's water crisis during a Richmond City Council meeting on Monday, July 7.

During this meeting, he also spoke about other initiatives the DPU is carrying out throughout the city to improve water infrastructure -- including its water meters.

"Water meters are crucial for accurately measuring water usage and billing customers accordingly," the city said. "However, like all equipment, water meters can lose their accuracy over time and need to be upgraded."

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Morris said that, as of Monday, "nearly 41,000" of the city's water meters are at or beyond their expected life. About 50,000 were initially identified as out-of-date, but about 9,000 have since been replaced as part of DPU's ongoing meter system upgrade.

Richmond has about 70,000 water meters in total, according to Morris -- meaning approximately 71% of the city's water meters were at or past their expected life at the start of this process. As of Monday, about 59% are still in need of replacement.

Morris did not specify how long these meters have needed to be replaced.

Additionally, Morris explained that multiple other updates are in progress alongside these water meter replacements. This includes upgrading DPU employees' handhelds, or the devices they use to check water meters. The new devices can perform some routine tasks faster and without the employee having to come onto a resident's property.

Once the remaining water meters have been replaced, Morris said the DPU plans to replace about 7% of all water meters annually. He did not provide a timeline for how long these remaining replacements may take.

He added that the city plans to have an online portal where customers can easily check their water use available by "early 2026."

8News has reached out to the city to better understand the potential impact these out-of-date meters may have had on residents' water bills. An update will be provided when possible.

For more information on the water meter replacement process and what Richmond residents with impacted meters can expect, click here.