The city's water department is ready to move into a second round of installing high-tech residential water meters, and the City Council appears ready to approve spending up to $5.1 million to get the job done.

Automated meters eliminate the need for a city employee to go from meter to meter, reading each one. Instead automated meters allow drive-by electronic reading, which is faster and reduces workmen's compensation claims from twisted ankles, spider bites and other occupational hazards.

There are other benefits from automation, water department Director Don Greeley told council members last week.

"We have increased accuracy," he said, "and an opportunity for reducing manpower."

Whether that means a smaller payroll or switching meter readers into customer-service jobs is a decision for the future, Greeley said. Currently, his department employs eight meter readers, two supervisors and a coordinator.

As for accuracy, Councilman Eugene Brown asked for reassurance. He invoked the solid-waste department's 2008 change from weekly to biweekly recycling collections. That led to months of confusion and citizen complaints before the new system's kinks got worked out.

"There was a lot of self-assurance around the [council meeting] room based more upon hope than reality," when that was approved, Brown said.

"What can go wrong?" he asked. After the first automated meters were installed in 2010, at least two homeowners were billed more than $80,000.

"We think we've identified what went wrong," Greeley said. "We feel real confident with this technology."

About 20,500 automated meters have been installed, in a section of southern Durham near N.C. 55, an area east of U.S. 70 and most of the city north of Interstate 85. Phase 2 adds 20,500 more in the southwest and northwest and Northeast Central Durham. Phases 3 and 4 would finish the changeover, with completion possible by 2014.

Greeley said automating the whole system, both residential and commercial, will cost about $23 million. Meters cost about $145 each.

With phase 2 complete in the spring of 2013, half the city's water system will be under the new technology and let the water department start shifting job responsibilities and begin switching from bimonthly to monthly billing.

"That should improve our cash flow," Greeley said, "and how we handle customer accounts."

Electronic readers provide far more data than humans, including hour-by-hour records of how much water a customer uses at what times, and spikes in water use that may indicate a leak. With that information, the water department can quickly notify customers to check for and repair leaks before getting big bills for wasted water.

"We're starting to work on all those customer contact processes," Greeley said.