Hialeah launches water-meter pilot program. Will it lower residents’ bills?
The Hialeah City Council has unanimously approved two resolutions to launch a pilot program installing hundreds of new water meters, part of an effort officials say will improve billing accuracy in areas where meters are difficult to access.
The city, which approved the resolutios on April 14, is negotiating tentative agreements with two companies, Core & Main LP and Badger Meter, Inc., each expected to install between 175 and 225 meters. A third company remains under consideration.
The meters will be deployed along routes that vary across the city and include both residential and commercial areas, with priority given to locations that are hardest to read.
Those areas include properties where meters are inaccessible, such as gated homes or locations where meters are obstructed or submerged, conditions that have long made it difficult for city staff to obtain readings.
Mayor Bryan Calvo told the Miami Herald that prioritizing those routes could improve the reliability of water usage data, though installations may require coordination with residents when meters are located inside private property.
Under the plan, installations are expected to begin within about 30 days of council approval, with the pilot program running for 180 days after installation is completed. The initiative is designed to implement an Advanced Metering Infrastructure system that automates meter readings, improves leak detection and provides real-time water usage data for both city operations and customer monitoring.
The pilot is part of a broader effort to address persistent concerns about water billing, one of the biggest issues raised by residents, even as the city’s own data indicates the system is functioning properly. Last year, the city approved a subsidy to shield residents from a roughly $13 million increase in water costs from Miami-Dade County, which supplies water to the city.
A recent internal assessment obtained by the Herald found that Hialeah’s Public Works Department, which oversees the city’s water and sewer system, said the meters operate within acceptable industry accuracy ranges. Based on its review, the department concluded the system “is functioning reliably and is not a primary contributor to high water bill complaints.”
However, the report also found that the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system recently approved would allow the city to obtain more frequent and detailed consumption data, detect abnormal water usage patterns earlier, identify potential leaks in customer service connections, and improve overall system management.
The findings on the accuracy of the current metering system contrast with years of complaints from residents about estimated readings they say lead to higher-than-expected water bills, concerns that have also been echoed by current and former officials.
Calvo told the Herald he does not necessarily agree with the report, citing concerns he has heard directly from residents, and said that is why it is important to explore alternatives such as smart meters that can measure water usage remotely up to four times a day, rather than relying on a single reading taken by meter readers.
Residents, particularly in older neighborhoods in the east area of the city, say bills are often based on estimates rather than direct readings, especially where meters are located behind homes or in hard-to-access areas. Some have told the Herald that inspectors rely on averages when meters cannot be physically read.
City officials have acknowledged the issue. During a 2023 water workshop, the mayor at the time, Esteban Bovo Jr., described complaints about estimated readings as “widespread.” He also noted that in older areas, readings are sometimes estimated—a practice some residents believe leads to higher bills
Those long-standing concerns highlight the challenge the city is now trying to address: not faulty meters, but difficulty consistently accessing them.
Calvo has previously pushed for technological upgrades. As a city councilman, he raised the possibility of using smart meters to detect leaks and reduce billing discrepancies, though the idea was considered too costly at the time. Now, the city is revisiting that option.
The Advanced Metering Infrastructure enables real-time, remote data collection, allowing for remote disconnects, faster outage detection, and more detailed usage analysis.
Calvo told the Herald that one proposal—through Core & Main LP—could involve purchasing tens of thousands of smart meters, with projected costs ranging from approximately $12.3 million to $15.4 million, based on estimates of $200 to $250 per unit.
Hialeah currently operates about 61,500 water meters, read on a bi-monthly cycle across 30 routes. The system includes multiple layers of verification: 11 field staff use handheld devices that flag unusual readings, prompting on-site rechecks before bills are finalized.
The initiative also comes as Miami-Dade County advances a significantly larger investment in water metering technology, with Core & Main LP, one of the companies involved in Hialeah’s pilot program. Last year, county commissioners approved a $273.6 million, 20-year contract for a similar water metering infrastructure system.
Still, for many residents, the issue remains unresolved: even if the meters are accurate, water bills continue to rise to amounts that many say are costly for a largely low- and moderate-income community, with some bills reportedly exceeding $800 every two months.
Calvo said the administration is now evaluating both the technology and how residents will use it in practice.
“We are analyzing two things,” he said. “Whether the technology works—which is more than likely, since these are companies that have successfully implemented it elsewhere—and how residents are physically accessing and utilizing these technologies, including whether there will be an educational and financial component depending on the company selected.”
