Newton To Replace All Water Meter Transponders

NEWTON, MA — Starting this summer, Newton will replace all 29,000 water meter transponders in the city, City Councilor Emily Norton said in her newsletter Monday.

Although the meters were all replaced in 2009, the transponders are failing prematurely. The city expects to have them all replaced by December 2023.

Residents who are currently being billed based on “expected” readings should read their own water meters and submit the reading to the Department of Public Works Utilities Division billing department at waterbilling@newtonma.gov.

"The Water Division is in the process of correcting the Automatic Meter Reading System (AMR) to eliminate this issue,” said the city in a letter to residents. "It is necessary for Water Division personnel to visit your property to check the transponder located on the exterior of your home to see if it is functioning properly."

"A City of Newton Utilities Division employee will visit your home soon to inspect, replace, or remove the transponder,” the letter continues. "We apologize for this inconvenience; the City is making every effort to correct this issue and it may take several billing cycles to correct this issue. Once we receive the new transponder, we will install it and you should start to receive actual reads and the city will adjust your water bill accordingly.”

For more information on the replacement of Newton’s water meter transponders, including steps on how to read your water meter, click here.