BALTIMORE, MD —The Baltimore City Department of Public Works announced that installation of its new water meter and billing program, known as BaltiMeter, will start today in the Northwest Baltimore area. The installation area will include the City line on the west and north side, Charles Street on the east, and Fayette and Route 40 on the south.

During these installations, water should only need to be turned off for less than an hour. Door hangtags and street signs will be posted to notify customers that installations are pending. In addition, customers will be notified by a knock on the door before the water is turned off. Meter installers will not need to enter customers’ homes.

To date, DPW has installed nearly 45,000 new meters in Baltimore City and County. “The BaltiMeter program is part of the DPW’s mission to ensure that our water billing process is efficient, reliable and accurate. The new automated meters will allow customers to know exactly how much water they are using and eliminate estimated billing for water and sewer services,” said DPW Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E.

Automated meters eliminate the chance that meters cannot be read because of obstructions or other challenges. These new meters wirelessly transmit precise water usage information to devices that upload that data to a central billing office.

Commercial customers will receive a letter directing them to contact 311 to schedule an appointment for their meter upgrade. This is to minimize the impact to their business caused by a water disruption.

By April 2016 the BaltiMeter project is expected to be completed in Baltimore City, where some 203,000 meters will be installed. Another 204,000 will be installed in the County by April 2017. Baltimore City DPW provides water and sanitary sewer service to customers in both jurisdictions.