Manatee County launches water meter replacement project

Water and sewer utility customers in Manatee County will begin seeing postcards in the mail soon announcing the first round of neighborhood installations of new water meters that can be read remotely.

Installation is scheduled to begin April 21 for the first of the county’s 150,000 water-utility customers. Officials expect the project to take until late 2027.

According to Manatee County, the installation work will take about 30 minutes per property, and residents need not be present. An interruption of about 10 minutes in water service is expected.

Once installed, WaterWise meters can be read remotely. In follow-on phases, customers will be able to view real-time water usage data and alerts on water flow.

“WaterWise Manatee represents a significant step forward in modernizing our county’s water infrastructure,” said Patrick Shea, Manatee County Utilities Director. “With the implementation of this program, we can improve operational efficiency, provide better customer service, and contribute to water conservation efforts.”

For more information, visit MyManatee.org/WaterWiseManatee.