The meter is running in Folsom's phase-out of flat-rate, subsidized water charges.

The city will spend $3.41 million to meter some 5,400 residences. Currently, Folsom remains one of only a few California cities to still supply unmetered water. The move to fund meter installation comes amidst a state-declared drought and city-imposed restrictions on water use that take effect Sept. 5. However, the metering move was mandated by 2004 voter-approved legislation and by Folsom's participation in the 2004 Water Forum on use of lower American River water.

Receiving federal Central Valley Project water through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation makes Folsom subject to the 2004 legislation.

"A plan is in place for CVP users to move to conservation efforts," said Louis Moore, bureau spokesman. "Today in Folsom Lake, there are 308,000 acre-feet of water -- 32 percent of capacity. It was at 40 percent last year. It seems to be getting drier and drier."

An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, which is about what a household of four would consume in a year.

A deadline of January 2013 exists for the metering program.

An exception will be made for some condominiums. The city will establish a flat rate for all condos unless the units are "master-metered," meaning billed collectively.

The 2004 voter-approved State code says cities supplying Central Valley Project water may pass on metering costs to rate-payers, but Folsom voters ruled that out before the state law passed.

"Under the terms of Measure P, passed by Folsom voters in 2002, meters can not be installed using rate payer money," said Sue Ryan, city information officer.

Nevertheless, water customers in the Central Valley are notorious for insisting on being liberal users of water. In Fresno, a 15-year running battle over metering included petition drives and recall campaigns. It was only the 2004 state legislation that forced Fresno to meter.

Perhaps with Fresno in mind, Folsom will hire a public-relations firm to help sell the idea of meters locally. The CirclePoint company will earn $185,000 over two years, city documents show.

Construction on the city's metering project will be done by low bidder Marques Pipelines, city documents show. An engineer's estimate was $5 million for the project. Another financial advantage for the city in the project is a drought-assistance grant from the state Department of Water Resources that will total approximately $225,000, utilities director Ken Payne wrote in a report to City Council members.

Under state law, the city must begin by March 1, 2013, to bill customers according to water use recorded by meters.

The Telegraph’s Roger Phelps can be reached at rogerp@goldcountrymedia.com, or post a comment at folsomtelegraph.com