Courtesy photo.
OAK PARK — The Triunfo Water & Sanitation District is encouraging its nearly 13,000 Oak Park potable water customers to use the automated water meters on their property to track and conserve water usage.
Automated water meters were first introduced in the district in 2015 with a system upgrade two years ago. A total of 4,600 meters are installed on all Oak Park residential and commercial properties receiving potable water from the district. The meters enable customers to monitor their water use in real-time and set alarms to warn of excessive consumption.
“Being able to keep tabs on how much water you use is especially handy now that the governor has asked that everyone voluntarily cut back on water usage by 15 percent,” says Richard Jones, Triunfo’s field services contractor. “If the drought continues, cutbacks may become mandatory. Customers can review their previous two years of water usage and figure out how much they need to reduce.”
Every four hours, the meters transmit data to collection towers in the Oak Park area. The data is then downloaded to the district’s census analytics system. The meter readings are used to generate customer water bills.
Customers can log in to their secure online account to see how much water they are using. They can also set up alerts if water use goes over certain thresholds. Alerts can be received by text or email.
“Only 20 percent of Triunfo water customers are currently taking advantage of these meters,” says Jones. “We’d like to see more. Customers that use the meters love the system. It helps them track how much water it takes to irrigate a lawn or to identify leaks. Small changes in our daily water routines can make a big difference.”
Triunfo Water & Sanitation District is the only district in Ventura County where 100 percent of its potable water customers have meters installed on their property. “Every other water agency is slowly making the switch,” says Jones. “It might still be 5 to 10 years before we see its widespread use throughout California. We’re fortunate that Triunfo decided to invest in the meters early.”
To sign up, go to https://www.triunfowsd.com, click on the Water tab, then Customer Service to set up a customer portal. Once signed up, customers will be able to access their water data immediately.
About Triunfo Water & Sanitation District — Triunfo Water & Sanitation District provides sewage collection services and wastewater treatment, supplies potable water, and treats and sells recycled water in the southeastern portion of Ventura County, including the communities of Oak Park, Lake Sherwood, Bell Canyon, and the Westlake Village and North Ranch portions of Thousand Oaks. The district covers approximately 50 square miles and serves a population of about 33,000. Visit www.triunfowsd.com.