Providing a safe and reliable drinking water supply is of paramount importance. If you own a car or a home, you know that these require upkeep and ongoing maintenance. The same can be said for water system infrastructure. Quality water relies on a distribution system whose water mains, valves, fire hydrants, plants, storage facilities are working properly and efficiently. The Middlesex Water family of companies maintain a diligent and strategic approach to water and wastewater upgrades and replacement based on solid asset management practices. We do so we can provide safe water and reliable fire protection while complying with increasingly stringent water quality and environmental regulations.

Meter Relocation Project

Middlesex Water Company (MWC) is initiating an effort to relocate water meters from the inside of a premise to an exterior water meter enclosure commonly referred to as a meter pit. MWC is bound by regulations set by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to periodically change and test meters and verify meter readings to ensure meter accuracy. Meters need to be tested and calibrated to ensure they are accurately reflecting the water usage on which customers are billed. However, coordinating scheduling with our customer’s busy schedules to enter homes to conduct this testing is getting harder to do. For this reason, meters are being relocated to exterior meter pits by MWC personnel or one of its approved contractors at no cost to you.

The installation of meter pits outside the home offers customers several benefits:

Convenience

Customers no longer need to wait for a MWC utility personnel to perform meter work or replacement because all future meter work, maintenance and reading activity will be conducted outside the home.

Safety

Customers no longer need to allow strangers access into their home for meter testing purposes because this will be now done outside the home. This is important because there have been instances of imposters posing as water utility personnel seeking to gain entry to customer homes.

No Maintenance

Maintenance of the interior meter was previously the customer’s responsibility. With meters being relocated outdoors, maintaining them will now be MWC’s responsibility.

Quick and Easy Access

Installing meters in exterior pits allows for safer, quicker and easier access to meters by MWC crews. Minutes matter when our crews need quick access to turn water off in emergencies.

Protection from Potential Damage

Meters can sometimes leak and cause interior home damage and customer inconvenience. This can, in some cases, impact homeowner’s insurance. Positioning meters outside the home eliminates that potential for risk.

Security

Outdoor meter pit installation helps maintain water rates by preventing unauthorized use of water service.

Meter Pit Location

The exterior pit, housing the meter, will be located between the curb and side walk, behind the sidewalk, or in the sidewalk. The selection of the meter pit location is typically determined by where the municipality has expressed a preference, as well as actual field conditions such as buried underground utilities, available space or practicality.

The meter pit location will initially be restored temporarily. Complete restoration to restore areas disturbed by this work typically occurs within 1-3 months, weather permitting.

Customers will be notified of the meter relocation via letters and door hangers. Following meter relocation, customers will be advised to contact our contractor to have their old meter removed.