Kansas City to Close Free Water Loophole

Dec. 27, 2005

The Kansas City Water Services Department plans to close a loophole next year that allows home builders and new homeowners to use unmetered water. The department will adopt a practice used by the suburbs that requires meters to be installed for homes at least by the time they are framed in.

Currently, new Kansas City homes don’t get a meter until the occupant moves in. In addition, city officials rely on residents to contact the department for a meter and a billing account. They acknowledge that occupants sometimes don’t call for a meter and consequently get free water for months or even longer.

Sean Hennessy, a compliance manager with the department, said, “Our goal is not necessarily to make more money. It’s to account for water (usage).”

Water officials realized they had a big problem in 2001 when an audit revealed that the city delivered 37 mgd of unbilled treated water—31% of the total. Much of that was from leaky water mains and inaccurate, aging meters. But at least part of the loss was due to unmetered construction activity.

The system currently calls for a plumber to pay a $150 flat-rate construction water fee. The department taps the water main, the plumber installs piping and the department opens water service. Builders then use unmetered water during construction, and the meter is installed once the occupant moves in.

Hennessy explained that most cities historically handled water in a similar fashion because of pipe-rupture problems associated with putting a meter in an unoccupied, unheated house. But he said that problem has largely been solved, and most area cities began requiring meters years ago when residential building booms started.

Slow to change its methods, Kansas City is doing so now in the midst of its own building boom. About 2,200 new residential water service permits were issued this year. Under the proposed system, a meter will be installed after the house is framed in and will be required as part of the inspection checklist.

Source: The Kansas City Star

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