There may be some changes to the March water bill date for some City of Wichita water customers.

This is due to streamlined meter reading routes.

In 2016, the City shifted from collecting water meter info by walking routes and using handheld devices to using Automated Meter Reading (AMR). The shift allowed information to be communicated to a vehicle as it drove past the meter.

In 2021, an improvement project began that redesigned routes to be more AMR efficient. As of January of this year, there are 361 routes for reading 160,000 water meters each month. The new route design implemented in February will reduce this to 233 routes.

These new route design will help reduce labor hours and cut down on gas emissions. No employees are being lost as a result of this change, and they are now able to respond more quickly to customer requests.

The City said that most Wichita water ratepayers will not see a change, but those that may be impacted have already been sent a postcard. Changes in typical billing amounts are expected to be minimal, but customers can call (316) 265-1300 for help with their water bill.