Years of support for reducing EMF’s in Sebastopol evaporated in October 2021, when the city council unanimously approved smart water meters.
We hired attorney Ariel Strauss and he presented the city attorney with a compromise to only install the digital readers without antennas. The council rejected the compromise claiming the meters were a public good because of the drought. The council later approved a FREE opt out for anyone who doesn’t want the smart water meter. The meters are planned to be deployed in January 2023.
Beware of Climate Washed Smart Water Meters!
Why did Sebastopol, who banned smart meters in 2013, do this? Syserco, a registered contractor for PG&E, sold the 2.2 million dollar project to Sebastopol as a water and energy savings initiative. Council members promoted the meters as a climate action solution. When asked to provide clarifying information on the purported savings, Syserco wrote:
“…there has never been a claim that the new meters “save energy, save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.
The real reason for the new meters according to Syserco is money. However, Syserco did claim the meters would save water and were energy efficient, and the staff report called the meters a “green initiative”. This is climate-washing, the use of deceptive marketing spin. Read more here.
Please resist the smart water meter policy.
Thanks,
Rebecca and Kevin Dwan
Sebastopol