Our research into the $17m AMR/Aquastar Orwellian water meter system the Town wants produced a big surprise last week – the Town has been reimbursing residents and businesses who discover a water leak on the own property!

  • The Town of Cary gives water and sewer rebates to customers that have water leaks in the homes or businesses.
  • The Town rebated over $16,000 in November based on 160 leak reports. Rebates varied from $0.40 to $1,308.00
  • The Town will pay out $200,000-$240,000 for rebates in 2009 (plus the cost of processing the reports).
  • Apparently Cary water customers are very good at detecting leaks without the use of the $17m Orwellian AMR/Aquastar electronic water meter. Current reports number 6-7 per day, 160-200 per month or 2000-2400 per year. This in a community where the average home age is approximately 10 years.
  • One resident confirmed that the Town reimbursed him two years ago for water lost from a hanging flapper valve in his toilet.

The Town’s own written policy assumes NO responsibility for losses of water that occur beyond the water meter, yet these rebates are costing us all nearly a quarter of a million dollars annually:

“The homeowner is responsible for repairs both inside the home and from the dwelling to the water meter.”

The Cary Watchmen urge you to contact the Town Council at [email protected] and say no to leak rebates and no to AMR.