Further investigation by the Cary Watchmen into the just-approved $17m AMR water meter project yielded a big surprise this week: our Town has been paying upwards of $200,000 annually to reimburse citizens for water losses in their own homes!  To the surprise of at least one Council member, the Town staff for some time has been giving credits for claimed water losses at faulty pipes, hot water heaters, hanging toilet valves, pools, irrigation systems, hoses, etc.  Wondering why the Town feels obligated to compensate homeowners for problems beyond the Town’s water meter, the Cary Watchmen called Progress Energy to ask if one could receive a credit from our electric bills when we fail to turn off a light. Not surprisingly, our inquiry was met with laughter. We are investigating this disturbing matter further and will report on it next week. The Cary News is also looking into the subject.  In addition to reducing the cost of meter reading, the Town of Cary wants the $17m meters to reduce leaks. The Cary Watchmen have proposed much simpler solutions to reduce costs of meter reading and leak detection that actually save money with no additional capital investments.