Status: 

• Select residents located in Wednesday and Friday garbage collection routeswill receive letters from Vanguard. There is no charge for the meter replacement. Only homes that need their meters replaced will receive a letter.
  • Once the letter arrives, residents will need to schedule an appointment directly with Vanguard. 
  • Appointments cannot be scheduled by contacting the City of West Fargo.

Next Steps:

• Winter 2020: Project schedule development
• Spring 2021: Water meter replacements
  • Due to a large volume of appointment requests, residents are asked to wait to schedule their appointment until they receive a direct postcard or letter from Vanguard.
    • Residents will be able to schedule their replacement appointment at http://www.vusinc.com/calendar.php or by calling (701) 212-4304 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Winter 2021: System launch and customer portal available

The City of West Fargo is replacing existing water meters with equipment for an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system.

AMI is an integrated system of smart meters, communications networks and data management tools that enables two-way communication between utilities and customers. The new system uses base stations to read water meters and sends the information directly to billing for a faster, more accurate reading of water meters.

The new system will also include the roll out of a customer portal, that will allow customers to see and track their usage in real time.

Benefits:

• Efficient metering and billing
• Increase user control over water consumption
• Lower utility capital expenses
• Faster outage identification and restoration

This project was included in the utility rate changes and 2021 budget and will not raise current utility fees.

Appointments:

• Residents will need to schedule an appointment directly with Vanguard. Residents should call Vanguard directly or visit their website to set up their appointment. 
  • Appointments cannot be scheduled by contacting the City of West Fargo.
• Residents should schedule an appointment for a time when they are home. A Vanguard representative will need to access the existing water meter located inside the home. 
• The appointment should last 20-40 minutes. Vanguard representatives will have a photo identification badge, uniforms and signs on their vehicles.
• Homeowners can reduce the time of their appointment by clearing any obstructions from around the water meter area before the appointment takes place. 
  • If you find you cannot keep your scheduled appointment, please arrange for a responsible adult (18 or older) to act on your behalf if possible.

Locations: 

All residents receiving water from the City of West Fargo will have their meters replaced. A small number of residents receiving Cass Rural water will not receive updated meters. View the map below for more information.