San Lorenzo Valley Water District to Replace Aging Water Meters
The San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Federal Bureau of Reclamation to update hundreds of water meters in Ben Lomond, California. A total of 443 water meters are scheduled to be replaced with meters that meet current standards for leak detection, which will help reduce water waste. SLVWD is one of 36 projects across the U.S. that was awarded funding through this program.
In a statement, SLVWD said, “Beginning in July 2025, the District will replace aging meters in Ben Lomond with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters. This area of the District has larger parcel sizes, many outdated meters and, because of sandy soil, leaks are difficult to detect.”
The initiative to upgrade the District’s water meters began in 2016, but progress was significantly slowed following the 2020 CZU Fire, which devastated the District’s water infrastructure. According to the District, AMI meters provide remote data collection using cellular connectivity, and these systems can be monitored more frequently to allow increased and more accurate water use data. Detecting leaks early can also help reduce customer bills. Nearly half of the District’s 7,960 water meters have been replaced with AMI meters to date, the District reports.
“The water meter upgrade project is one of many improvement projects happening across the San Lorenzo Valley Water District to update aging infrastructure, including replacing undersized pipelines, hardening against wildfires, ensuring more reliable water infrastructure and adding fire hydrants to improve water supply resiliency and increase firefighting capabilities.”
Photo: slvwd.com
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Julie Horner is Co-Founder and Editor for the San Lorenzo Valley Post. Julie lives and works in Boulder Creek and is an active participant in the county's vibrant music scene. She loves the outdoors and is the go-to expert on Santa Cruz Mountains hiking trails.
