Landscaping Alert! Don't Hurt Your ERT!

Whether you are a homeowner or professional landscaper, please take some reasonable precautions when using lawn mowers, aerators, or snow blowers around the new ERT meters.

Denver Water has almost completely automated the meter system. With our Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system, more than 95% of all meter readings are now done through a radio transmitter (called an "ERT") connected to the meter by a wire.

Electronic Remote Transmitter (ERT)

Most of the meters in our system are in meter pits, and most of these are in landscaped areas where you might be mowing, aerating, or having maintenance done by landscaping services, so we wanted you to know how to be careful around these ERTs.

The device mounts through the meter pit lid. From the top, it looks like a black disc about seven inches in diameter. It sticks up ½ inch to ¾ inch above the top of the meter pit lid. (See the cutaway view at the right.) The center part of the unit is made of hard plastic – hard enough to support the weight of a car, but not able to survive an encounter with a lawn mower blade!

The second photo shows an ERT that was damaged by a lawn mower only a few days after it was installed. Unfortunately, it no longer works. This damage cost the property owner $125.00 – that's the standard charge for replacing a damaged ERT.

Electronic Remote Non-Transmitter (lawn mower damage)

Typically, the customer will be asking their lawn service to reimburse them for this charge, since it was damaged by landscape professionals.

Please be careful when you are aerating or mowing around water meter pits. Never run your aerator over the top of a meter pit. Check the clearance between your mower blade and the top of the ERT.

Landscape professionals who see any meter pits with ERTs that might be hit by a mower, should let us know – we’ll see if we can install a special recessed pit lid that will keep the unit safely away from lawn mower blades. And let us know if you damage an ERT so we can replace it before the next meter reading date. (We will still have to charge the owner $125, however.)

If you have any further questions about our AMR program or the ERTs we’ve installed at our customer' homes, or if you’d like to report a damaged unit, please call our Customer Care Specialists at 303.893.2444 or our AMR project office at 303.628.6433. Thanks for your cooperation.