ACTION ALERT: WSSC Water Meters: UpComing Hearings AND EMAIL LIST

Did you know WSSC is about to move forward with a proposal to spend more than 100 million dollars on new, cheap, radiating water meters? Yes, that's money we the ratepayers will pay!

Speak up at the next WSSC Meeting and send your testimony to WSSC and your county Council! 

SAVE THE DATE:  

October 21, 2020 Link to get more info. 

For those who are short on time, it'll take less than one minute to email your testimony. 

Please tell them you do NOT want the WSSC to Move forward with an AMI Smartmeter

 

Please contact your elected officials and ask them to STOP this waste of money. 

 Scroll Down: See Draft Text for An Email 

PG residents send to:  

budgetgroup@wsscwater.com, chris.lawson@wsscwater.com, eloise.foster@wsscwater.com, fausto.bayonet@wsscwater.com, howard.denis@wsscwater.com, keith.bell@wsscwater.com, sandra.thompson@wsscwater.com, marc.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov,  countyexecutive@co.pg.md.us, BLLaster@co.pg.md.us , CouncilDistrict1@co.pg.md.us, councildistrict5@co.pg.md.us, CouncilDistrict6@co.pg.md.us, CouncilDistrict7@co.pg.md.us, CouncilDistrict8@co.pg.md.us, ouncilDistrict9@co.pg.md.us, District4@co.pg.md.us, DLTaveras@co.pg.md.us, dmglaros@co.pg.md.us, GPKonohia@co.pg.md.us, anne.healey@house.state.md.us. joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us, mary.lehman@house.state.md.us, ben.barnes@house.state.md.us, alonzo.washington@house.state.md.us, nicole.williams@house.state.md.us, geraldine.valentino@house.state.md.us, marvin.holmes@house.state.md.us, ron.watson@house.state.md.us, erek.barron@house.state.md.us, andreafletcher.harrison@house.state.md.us, jazz.lewis@house.state.md.us, darryl.barnes@house.state.md.us, nick.charles@house.state.md.us, dereck.davis@house.state.md.us, veronica.turner@house.state.md.us, kris.valderrama@house.state.md.us, jay.walker@house.state.md.us, susie.proctor@house.state.md.us, michael.jackson@house.state.md.us

MoCo residents send to: 

budgetgroup@wsscwater.com, chris.lawson@wsscwater.com, eloise.foster@wsscwater.com, fausto.bayonet@wsscwater.com, howard.denis@wsscwater.com, keith.bell@wsscwater.com, sandra.thompson@wsscwater.com,marc.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov,  countyexecutive@co.pg.md.us, Councilmember.Albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov, 
Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Rice@montgomerycountymd.gov, Councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov, anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us, eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us, pam.queen@house.state.md.us, kathleen.dumais@house.state.md.us, david.fraser.hidalgo@house.state.md.us, lily.qi@house.state.md.us, ariana.kelly@house.state.md.us, marc.korman@house.state.md.us, sara.love@house.state.md.us, kumar.barve@house.state.md.us, kumarbarve@gmail.com, jim.gilchrist@house.state.md.us, julie.palakovichcarr@house.state.md.us, alfred.carr@house.state.md.us, emily.shetty@house.state.md.us, jared.solomon@house.state.md.us, charlotte.crutchfield@house.state.md.us, bonnie.cullison@house.state.md.us, vaughn.stewart@house.state.md.us, lorig.charkoudian@house.state.md.us, david.moon@house.state.md.us, jheanelle.wilkins@house.state.md.us

Want Ideas on what to say in your email?

Subject line: I Oppose WSSC Water's AMI Smart Meter Project

Body (option #1): Remove the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart meter project from the CIP budget. There are other alternatives available that are more cost effective and won't impose huge rate increases on WSSC Water's customers. More than $100 million has been budgeted for AMI in fiscal year 2022. Since 2018, four states have rejected AMI proposals for exorbitant costs and lack of customer benefit. Specifically, Virginia's Fairfax Water also determined that it was more cost effective not to implement AMI. As a result, Fairfax Water has kept their customer rates low. Additionally, a 2015 research study concluded that the average life of AMR/AMI water meters is 8.2 years. WSSC Water presented in August 2020 that the average life of analog meters is 17.03 years - that's more than double of the proposed smart meter. I am opposed to having my rates increase to pay back an estimated $100 million, plus interest for a substandard infrastructure.

Signed, 

[your name]

[your address]

[your county]

Body (option #2, pick whichever points you like. Make sure to include at least 1 opening, financial & closing):

Opening

• Remove the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) smart meter project from the CIP budget.
  
• There are more cost effective alternatives available than AMI smart meters that won't impose huge rate increases on WSSC customers.
  

Financial

• The economics of WSSC's AMI smart meter proposal is based on a 2011 study that has not been updated. There is a risk that the cost will be greater than the estimated $100M.
  
• Implementation of AMI will grossly increase water rates, making it less affordable for many of WSSC Water's customers. 
  
• Since 2018, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Virginia have listed that their official reasons for rejecting smart meter proposals has been a) exorbitant costs; and b) lack of customer benefit.
  
• Virginia's Fairfax Water also determined in 2018 that it was more cost effective not to implement AMI.
  
• WSSC Water's current meters last more than twice as long, compared to the proposed AMI smart meters.
  

Environment

• RF radiation effects the health of all living things on our planet.
  
• As proposed, WSSC's AMI smart meter deployment is bad for the environment. It will result in tens of thousands of working meters entering the waste stream.
  
• AMI meters are powered by lithium batteries that when disposed of leach into the soil and make their way into our water supply.
  

Health

• RF radiation is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”
  
• It is stated on the American Cancer Society's website, "Because RF radiation is a possible carcinogen, and smart meters give off RF radiation, it is possible that smart meters could increase cancer risk."
  
• Many water meters are located inside our homes, exposing us to RF radiation several times a day, all day. 
  

Privacy

• Smart meters will put WSSC into the business of collecting massive amounts of customer data, thereby invading our privacy.
  
• Under the guise of "early leak detection"  WSSC Water will be able to deduce the routine habits of each household. 
  
• It's stated on WSSC's "History of Meter Reading" video that our data leaving the meter is not encrypted. Encryption occurs halfway through the data transmission process. 
  
• This proposal jeopardizes the rights of property owners to control which equipment is installed on or in their property.
  

Closing

• I am opposed to having my rates increase to pay back approximately $100 million plus interest for a substandard infrastructure.
  
• I am opposed to paying for AMI smart meters that harms people, pollutes the environment and invades customer's privacy.
  

Signed, 

[your name]

[your address]

[your county]