Hialeah begins installing smart water meters to prevent high bills, but not all residents are happy

The City of Hialeah has begun installing smart water meters to address widespread complaints from residents regarding unusually high utility bills, an issue city leaders have partially blamed on aging infrastructure.

The pilot program, which kicked off this week in west Hialeah, involves crews replacing 600 legacy water meters with new digital units at no cost to the city. The effort is part of a competitive bidding process featuring three companies vying for a long-term contract to modernize the city's water meter system. As part of the evaluation, each company is installing 200 meters to allow officials to compare technology and pricing.

In some neighborhoods, crews have completed the upgrades in under 10 minutes, swapping out dated equipment for the new digital models.

The initiative aims to assist residents like Nancy Nawaz, who gained local attention earlier this year after receiving a water bill exceeding $1,000 for a three-month period. Nawaz said she has taken extreme measures to reduce consumption, including using a laundromat and limiting plant watering.

Nawaz noted that newly elected Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo promised to address her concerns when the case was first reported in January.

Calvo stated that while the city manages approximately 62,000 water meters, a total replacement is neither financially practical nor immediately necessary. "We can focus on homes that are the most difficult to read first, so that's going to be the priority," Calvo said. He added that the city would prioritize locations where older equipment has hindered accurate readings.

However, the rollout has drawn criticism from some residents. Nawaz, who resides in East Hialeah, expressed frustration that initial installations are concentrated in the west, leaving some east side residents feeling ignored.

"Some of us in the east of Hialeah are feeling a little left out of this innovation," Nawaz said.

Calvo disputed claims of favoritism, emphasizing that the city aimed to test different property types while addressing the most challenging locations. "We wanted to spread out the meters across the city," he said.

While Nawaz has yet to receive a new digital meter, she reported a significant decrease in her most recent bill, which totaled $272. When questioned about the discrepancy between that and her previous $1,000 charge, she stated that officials attributed the earlier high bills to a water leak.

City officials hope the transition to smart metering will improve billing accuracy and restore public trust. Mayor Calvo says he expects the city to select a vendor by the end of the pilot, with large-scale installations slated to begin early next year.