A small device is attached to your water meter.  It automatically reads your water meter and transmits this data to a computer-equipped vehicle, which is driven down the street.

Yes, all water meters will have to be equipped with automatic meter reading equipment (AMR).

Life expectancy of the radio unit is +/-10 years.  The water meter has a life expectancy of greater than 20 years.

No.  The radio signal is very low powered and weaker than the signal from a cell phone.  The AMR radio signal will not disrupt any other radio signals.

Brown water is often the result of street construction or water main work being done in the area.  Any disturbance to the main, including the opening of a fire hydrant, can cause pipe sediment to shift, resulting in brown water.  The settling time of the main will vary, depending on the size of the water main.  In addition, brown water is commonly associated with plumbing corrosion problems inside buildings and from rusting hot water heaters.  If you have an ongoing problem with brown water, it is probably due to rusty pipes.   It is recommended that you run your cold water for 2-3 minutes, if it has not been used for an extensive period of time.  This will flush the line.  You can avoid wasting water by catching your "flush"  water in a container and using it to water plants or for other purposes.

Chlorine odors may be more noticeable when the weather is warmer. 
Chlorine is essential to kill organisms that may cause disease.  The following are ways you can remove the chlorine odor from you drinking water:

• Fill a pitcher and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight. (This is the best way.)
• Fill a glass or jar with water and let it stand in the sunlight for 30 minutes.
• Pour water from one container to another about 10 minutes.
• Heat the water to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Once you remove the chlorine, be sure to refrigerate the water to limit bacterial growth. 

Air becomes trapped in the water as a very large volume of pressurized water travels down the long distance of aqueducts to the City.  The water, as a result, can sometimes appear cloudy or milky.  This condition presents no threat to public health.  The cloudiness is temporary and clears quickly after the water is drawn from the tap and the excess air is released.

You do not need to buy bottled water for health reasons in New York City since our water meets all health based drinking water standards.  Also, bottled water costs up to 1,000 times more than the City's drinking water.
 

Hardness is a measure of calcium in the water.  The less calcium in the water ("soft" water), the easier it is to create lather and suds.  New York City's water is predominantly "soft."

The following streets receive their water through the Yorktown water system connection and therefore does contain some fluoride: 

• Baker Street 
• Brandeis Avenue 
• Cardoza Avenue 
• Croton Avenue from Maple Ave. to Furnace Dock Rd.
• Dares Lane 
• East Hill Road ** top half
• Hampton Place
• Helena Avenue
• High Street
• Hood Place
• Jacob Street
• John Street
• Kamp Street
• Lakeland Avenue
• Lexington Avenue from Route 6 to Townsend Road
• Lexington Avenue from Route 6 to Mountainview Road
• Lockwood Road from Yorktown line to Lockwood Estates
• Lucs Lane
• McArthur Boulevard
• Mill Court
• Mountainview Road off Croton Avenue
• Mountainview Road off Red Mill Road
• Nathalie Court
• Parkway Colony all streets
• Quarry Acres all streets
• Red Mill Road from Lexington Ave. to Mountainview Road 
• Regina Avenue
• Route 6 from Lexington Ave. to Westchester Mall
• Skyview Road
• Southgate Drive
• Stonefield Court 
• Udell Court
• Wheeler Drive
• Woodland Boulevard