Since February 5, Rous County Council (Rous) in partnership with Nucleus3 (N3), GreenBe and NPS began installing new ‘digital smart water meters’ for the majority of its 2,132 direct water customers, 940 of which are in the Lismore LGA.

The smart meters and the associated “My Rous” app will provide customers with timely data, and customisable updates and alerts about water usage and leakage detection.

The first smart meters are being installed in Ballina with the remaining customers in the Rous network being connected over the next 6 months. Work is expected to be completed in June 2024.

Rous' Lismore customers are generally in the rural areas of Lismore City Council (and our other constituent council supply areas), where their bulk water mains run through these areas to transfer water across the region. Over many decades Rous have connected nearby properties to their bulk water mains. In these areas, there are no LCC water mains because there isn’t the density of customers to justify a standalone urban water reticulation system. LCC customers are typically in the urban areas and villages, where Rous supply water to a reservoir owned by LCC (except Nimbin) and they distribute to their customers. 

Historically, Rous has undertaken manual reading of customer water meters on a quarterly basis. While this is adequate for billing requirements, it provides little information for Rous and our customers on actual water use and any leaks that might occur.

Rous’s Group Manager Planning and Delivery, Andrew Logan says “It’s great to see work finally underway to install smart water meters for our customers. We’re hopeful that with information available at their fingertips on a digital device, our customers can be more mindful of their water use and potentially save money and water if they have a leak on their property.”

Smart meters will be connected to existing digital communication networks and will provide daily updates to the customer via the My Rous app. The app, developed by GreenBe, will help customers to self-manage their water consumption. Customers will be able to monitor their water use, explore ways to reduce their use, and identify any unusual activity that might indicate a leak. It is expected that this communication system will help save water for the region and money for our customers.

N3 Program Manager, Shaun Eisel says “By implementing the smart meters and the My Rous app, Rous is taking a critical step in increasing sustainable water usage which in turn will contribute to a more secure water supply for the local community.”

“More and more Councils and Water Authorities across Australia are moving to digital water meters to provide more timely information on water usage and patterns of consumption, to better inform future planning. Rous is proud to be taking this step with our customers in the Northern Rivers,” says Andrew Logan.