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MASON CITY – Fairfield didn’t want them due to potential health risks, and now they are here in Mason City, leading some to question the implications of thousands of new “smart” water meters the city is installing.
According to city hall, as of July 31, 3,253 Neptune “smart” water meters have been installed in Mason City.
“We are installing the Neptune radio read meters, which allows for reading via a handheld or a computer,” staff told NIT. The meters give off a radio transmission pulse. The city wants to install up to 11,760 of the new meters. The cost of the residential meter is around $190 each and they are paid with water funds. There is budgeted money each year to pay for the replacement meters.
According to sources now coming forward, some in Mason City worry that the “smart” water meters have grave health implications and are not safe. These concerns have been brought to city hall, and, quietly, a number of citizens have been promised “opt-outs” (NIT has been shown city documents proving the opt-out). This means that these citizens would not be required to allow the city to install the Neptune smart water meter in their home (typically in the basement) but may be subject to a fee, perhaps monthly. Currently, city staff are working on a city-wide opt-out provision which could be introduced in the near future. City administrator Brent Trout (who has been off work for weeks) didn’t immediately respond to questions about the opt-out provision.
These concerns come on the heels of citizens in Fairfield, Iowa, who made a strong, concerted effort to have these same meters removed or stopped from being installed in their town. Citizens there cited “mounting research … about the long-term safety of saturating ourselves in electromagnetic frequencies”, i.e., the radio frequency (RF) “pulse” emitted from the smart meters. The RF pulses have been called “possibly carcinogenic to humans” and may exacerbate cancer, NIT is told by a concerned citizen. The Fairfield effort culminated in 2012 when the city gave up its push to install the Neptune meters.
“Our city stopped Neptune smart water meters two years ago, one of the first cities in the country to do so,” an activist from Fairfield wrote in 2014.
Reports have also surfaced that smart water meters are being installed in Ventura, Iowa, and there could be questions in that community as well.
In Mason City, some city council members are aware of concern in the community about the smart meters, but little or nothing has been done as of yet to address citizens’ concerns.
More on this developing story to come.
These emit on the same frequencies as the pressure sensors in your tires. So if you are dumb enough to think these are a health risk you should get rid of your car too.
https://vimeo.com/133169375
Joel Moskowitz PhD of UC Berkeley. Another tinfoil hat guy with an advanced degree?
https://vimeo.com/131798243
Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe 6/22/15 short video including why this stuff can be a threat to children.
Sorry but I find that “separating the facts from fiction” video insulting to people’s intelligence. People aren’t that dumb anymore.
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2011-03-23/problems-smart-grids
This is a nice morning coffee piece. Though I’m not sure people will still feel all warm & fuzzy after reading it.
Watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=161&v=Nij-_gAMj-4
Before we trash a good thing let’s get all the facts. Fairfield is still installing these meters. They do have an opt-out clause, which you can have the old style meter for an extra monthly charge. Wakeup, we use tv,vcr,dvd,radio,light,remotes. cell phones ,microwaves,cordless phones, bluetooth, videogames, Ican’t name them all. They all emit some kind of RF frequencies. We have a new meter and our bill went down, So I;m keeping mine. And I don’t have to clean a path in the snow for the meter person anymore!!!
@common sense-those are kind of my thoughts too. But, the city should have told us there was a possibility of this so we could make up our own minds. My meter is outside behind the house so I think we are pretty safe. That doesn’t let them off the hook on their responsibility.
I think you are forgetting about a router. Having one in my bedroom for a year gave me headaches that I never experienced before and they ended once I moved it into my basement. Wireless anything can’t be good for a human body.
Who even knew what a smart meter was before this story?
Uh oh where is that conspiracy guy? I just tried searching the internet putting in a state name and then smart meter like Michigan smart meter —-and all these states look like they have groups fighting these. Must be a country wide conspiracy. Who knew?
These meters are approved by the scientific community and when used properly they create about the same amount of risk as getting brain cancer from holding your cell phone up to your ear 24/7.
If you think the city is wrong or negligent file a class action suit on behalf of the people of mason city.
I would not go by anything the city of Fairfield does. This is the Home to Maharishi University. They will not enter a building that has an opening on the south because that is where the bad spirits enter. Anyone that follows their beliefs and owns a building on the north side of town square has the front closed off and you must enter from the back. Everything in life has to be in perfect alignment. They probably feel that the new water meters interfere with their meditation.
How about the city of St. Paul? Some citizens there didn’t want smart water meters either so fought for an opt-out and got them. Are all those people not meeting your expectations as well?
Not all people in Fairfield are Maharishi people. The University has had a positive effect on the town and has helped to make Fairfield known world-wide. It is a progressive town and has received a number of “best small town” awards. The Governor even called it Iowa’s super star city.
Come on conspiracy folks. Do you really think that this or any other city would install any equipment that has a proven health risk. You spend way too much time worrying about $hit that isnt real. Just put on your tin foil hats, sit by an open window and listen to your voices.
@Reality Check-Even though I hate to think it, the current administration has shown over and over that they only care about their favorite’s. They would do almost anything to get more money to pour into downtown.
I don’t know if there is a “proven” health risk but the pervasive use of RF technology is relatively new. People should have a choice on these meters and shouldn’t be penalized if they ask for the older technology. Max Weaver raised concerns about these meters when he was on the Council. He had a point that the technology was new and the impacts were unknown.
Ya reality check the whole story in Fairfield Iowa was made up even though it was all over in their local newspaper in 2012 and smart people (one guy PhD in physics) was helping lead the fight. Who is the conspiracy guy now? You are I guess. Plus you must be smarter than the guy with a degree in physics!
Wow after looking at the RF levels I think they need to remove all meters and look for a different alternative !! Why as a council would you endanger your town folk unless you truly do not care! If thats the case then install a couple of these in different areas of there own homes 1) in bedroom and 2) by your favorite chair in front of the tv !!
We were 1 of the first to get one…..there were only 2 other homes that had it…….and the only reason we did was because we bought our house & after a year of paying we were told after our water bill doubled & I called to complain that our meter had been broken long before we bought the house so we should consider ourselves lucky to have paid what we were for that year….but that now someone was coming to install a new meter so we needed to make sure to be home ……they never told us much about the new meter and weren’t even sure if it would be OK to get wet since our meter was in our downstairs shower that everyone uses…..said he recommended for us to make sure it didn’t…….I…
Told him he should have to make sure it was covered since we never had to worry about it before in either house we lived in. ….we were told that everyone would have to get one installed so if there’s an opt-out option …..I’ll have to make some calls to city hall!
Thank you very much for this information.
Sorry didn’t mean to report that one. I was trying to reply. I’m also a little irritated that this wasn’t brought to our attention when it was installed. Ours was installed last year.
Why are we just now hearing of this? If there is a potential they should have told us before installing them. They have been installing them all over the North End. They put mine in over a month ago and my neighbors just a couple of weeks ago. I see a potential law suit in the works.
Do you really think the pubic servants give a ratsazz if they cause cancer ?