If the town invests in the so-called ‘smart meter,’ Cary officials may begin monitoring residents’ water “budget” very, very carefully. From the News & Observer (emphasis is mine):
Bill Holman, a former state environment and natural resources secretary, said the radio water meters will help Cary monitor an increasingly precious resource. “This will enable Cary and the residents to figure out more of a per person water budget,” said Holman, who is now director of state policy at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.
But opponents of the high-tech water meters say information the device gathers does not belong in the hands of government officials. Ray Czarnecki, a Cary resident for 11 years, and two others have led a charge against the initiative by writing letters to local media outlets and distributing information across the town.
They claim the information could be used to tell when someone is on vacation, leaving their house an open target for burglary. They also object to the price of the proposed water meter system.
