The Water Meter Project

ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – A Choctaw County project is pumping money back into the area. The ‘Water Meter Project’ has been on tap since last September replacing nearly a thousand meters.

The $215,000 dollar project is helping utility workers, and the city’s bottom line.

Almost all of Ackerman’s 900 water meters have been replaced. Now, the utility can get a more accurate read of customers’ actual use.

“They appear to be doing really good. We were hoping for 5 or 6%  increase in revenue, and it looks like we’re going to meet that, of course, it’s still young, you know, we need a few more months to gauge it,” says Ackerman Mayor Dick Cain.

It might still be young, but Cain says the town is already seeing a difference.

“We’re already making money because you know, we cut our read time down to 2 men in 2 days, to one man in 3 hours, with these radio read meters, and you know, that’s a blessing in itself, and that’s a big savings.”

The meters won’t be saving residents any money on their water bills, but it will be saving their tax dollars.

“The Water Meter Project, we didn’t get a grant. We didn’t borrow any money. We did it ourselves. It came out of our bank, so you know, that’s a good incentive to make more money.”

More money to add to the general fund that will go towards parks and recreations, and streets to better the small town of 1,510.

The old meters will be sold for brass price, and will bring the town in an extra few thousand dollars.