New digital smart water meters have been installed at 900 houses in Port Douglas.

Douglas Shire Council engaged meter installation company, Data Right, who fitted the new equipment under the smart water program.

The smart water meters have been fitted with radio transmitters that send meter readings to Council every hour.

The Smart Water Meter Program has been funded from the Queensland Government’s 2021-24 Works for Queensland Program.

The rollout is one of three priority water security infrastructure projects which also includes an additional extraction point in the Mossman River and water storage.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the new meters help Council identify leaks and help residents save money on wasted water.

“The new meters link remotely to a network which sends near real time water usage information to our data management system,” he said.

“Council will be able to use this information to identify water leaks quicker to help us save water, while residents will save money through more accurate water billing."

“Property owners will eventually be able to keep track of their water usage via a smart phone app which will encourage more water saving practices within our community.”

Council plans to install smart water meters at remaining properties in Port Douglas, Craiglie, Mossman and north to Daintree Village and surrounds next financial year.

As part of its water security strategy, Council has completed a design of an additional water extraction point in the Mossman River and is currently progressing its water licence through the State Government.

A feasibility study is required to progress the 1GL water storage concept. Based on current average water use and projected population growth, the demand for water by the Mossman-Port Douglas communities will reach the limit of Council’s water licence from Rex Creek by 2025-2026.

For more information about water security in Douglas Shire, please visit https://douglas.qld.gov.au/water-wastewater/water-for-the-future/

Installing Smart Water Meters

Installation started on Monday 28 March 2022 and will be completed by tomorrow,  Friday 15 April. 

Meter installation company Data Right installed the devices and all their staff carried Data Right identification with them when working to confirm they are authorised to do the work on behalf of Council.

Meter installation can take up 20 minutes, depending on the location of the meter. Installers will take care to minimise disruption to the area surrounding the meter and will be taking photos of the meter works during the installation to document:

• the old meter reading (including the serial number) at the time of disconnection; and
• the new serial number and initial reading; and
• the new meter in situ. Your water supply should only be interrupted for between 10 and 20 minutes.

Immediately after installation your water may be discoloured, or air pockets may have formed in the line causing the water to sputter. If this happens, please run each tap on your property for approximately 30 seconds or until the water becomes clear or stops sputtering.

For more information, please visit https://douglas.qld.gov.au/smart-water-meterhttpsprogram/