By Maggie LaNoue – Contributing Writer – March 27
If you have received a white envelope from the City of Albion stamped with a large red “IMPORTANT INFORMATION” box, you have two weeks to schedule a water meter replacement appointment. If you don’t, a shutoff notice will be posted on your door — followed by your water being turned off. The good news is that making the appointment takes just a few minutes.
The City of Albion is about halfway through its Mandatory Water Meter Replacement Program, with approximately 1,300 of 2,700 properties completed. The work is being done by Blue-Water Solutions at no cost to homeowners or businesses.
Making the appointment is straightforward. You can scan the QR code on the letter, visit www.blue-watersolutions.com/scheduleappt and select ALBION, or call one of two numbers: City Hall at (517) 629-5535 or Blue-Water Solutions directly at (248) 625-0667. Appointment slots are filling quickly as residents respond — available times are changing daily — so sooner is better.
Plan for a 45-minute appointment. An adult over 18 must be home, and the technician will need clear access to your water meter, which is inside your home. Before your appointment, the letter asks that you check that your water valves open and close properly and that the area around the meter is clear.
If your letter lists City Hall hours as Monday through Friday, those are outdated. Earlier letters were printed before the city switched to a four-day work week. City Hall is now open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. New letters going out will reflect the correct hours. Blue-Water Solutions can also be reached Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The water meter itself stays inside your home, but the old system relied on workers walking neighborhood routes to scan a small box outside each property with a handheld device. The new meters transmit usage data automatically via cellular signal to a new dedicated tower, eliminating the need for manual meter reads and freeing up city staff time even as monthly billing adds a new mailing cycle.
The upgrade also means water billing will shift to monthly statements — a change city officials expect to roll out within about a month once enough meters have been replaced. Residents are encouraged to sign up for online billing, but paper bills will also be sent monthly.
About 10 business days after your new meter is installed, you can set up a free account through EyeOnWater, a water monitoring app used by utilities across the country with more than 37,000 five-star reviews. It allows you to track your daily water consumption and set leak alerts — handy for catching a running toilet or slow leak before it shows up as a surprise on your bill. Search “EyeOnWater” in the App Store on an iPhone or the Google Play Store on an Android phone, or set up an account online at eyeonwater.com/signup. You will need your account number and ZIP code to register. If you need a hand getting started with a smartphone app, consider asking a tech-savvy friend or family member — or watch for possible sessions at the Forks Senior Center, where technology help programs have been offered in the past.
One more thing worth knowing as spring approaches: Albion residents can apply for a discount on sewer charges for water used on outdoor gardens and lawns, since that water never enters the sewer system. The process is still handled on paper. Stop into City Hall, ask for the outdoor watering form, and follow the instructions. It’s worth doing before the watering season begins.
For questions, contact City Hall at (517) 629-5535, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., or Blue-Water Solutions at (248) 625-0667, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Albion is in the middle of many changes at once — road detours, rising water bills, new housing developments rising from long-vacant buildings, and bigger decisions ahead about the river and the waterfall that generations of residents have loved. None of it is convenient. But the work being done today on water infrastructure, housing, and roads is an investment in the city that our children and grandchildren will inherit. Scheduling a water meter appointment is a small part of that larger picture — and it only takes a few minutes.
