Wireless Water Meters a 'Violation of Basic Human Rights'

Stillwater residents who don't want them won't have to have new wireless water meters installed inside their homes. 

That was the decision Thursday of the Stillwater Board of Water Commissioners, according to media reports. 

The devices' low-frequency radiation raise health and privacy concerns for some residents, including Denise Hoffbeck, who told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "Every morning I wake up and I'm nauseous. ... I have resorted to sleeping in my kids' playhouse, which is outside and unheated." 

James Cashman told the Stillwater City Council on October 15 that requiring electronic monitoring and transmission was "a violation of basic human rights." (See a video clip of his open-forum presentation to the Stillwater City Council at the 1:38:00 mark above.)

Under the new policy, customers who have water meters installed outside instead of inside their homes will bear the $200 wiring cost, the Stillwater Gazette reported, and pay $12 more per quarter if they opt for a touchpad model requiring a meter-reader to visit. 
 
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