The Princeton Water and Wastewater Commission will use close to a million dollars in state funding to further city water and sewer projects already in progress.

The utility also hopes to benefit from more state budget funds allocated to the county fiscal court for water and sewer projects.

Joey Anderson, commission superintendent, updated the utility’s board of directors Tuesday on the state funds and the projects they will aid.

The largest block of funding is a $600,000 appropriation to further the development of the commission’s automated meter reading system.

Since late 2006, the commission has begun replacing traditional meters, which must be read manually, with new meters that transmit data automatically.

In most cases, crew members need only drive by the automated meters to obtain their readings, which are sent to a laptop computer carried in the vehicle.

The commission has purchased 24 meters per month since the project began and now has more than 300 automated meters installed in the city system.

With the $600,000 from the state, the commission can both cover its project expenses to date and finish the project, installing automated meters in the remainder of the city’s water grid.

About 3,200 new meters can be installed with the money.

The new meters will benefit the commission by saving time and manpower, Anderson said.

Customers will also benefit from the new meters, which will alert the utility if abnormal readings in a customer line are detected.

The commission will also receive a $350,000 state appropriation for wastewater projects — namely, the continuance of an inflow and infiltration study of the city sewer system.

The first phase of the study, completed in the summer of 2007, evaluated the differences in wastewater flow levels during periods of dry and wet weather.

Higher flows during wet weather indicated the presence of stormwater in the sanitary sewer system — water that should be in the city’s storm drainage system.

The problem is significant, utility officials said. Gordon Ramage, chief operator at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, said a heavy rainfall would result in the plant treating an extra 3.5 million gallons a day.

The $350,000 will continue the study to pinpoint the sites where stormwater is entering the sanitary sewer system and begin repairs in the areas of highest priority.

Keeping stormwater out of the sewer pipes will cut down on treatment expenses and reduce the amount of sewer backups and other problems some neighborhoods experience during flood periods.

The state budget also includes a $300,000 appropriation to the Caldwell County Fiscal Court for water and sewer repairs and extensions.

Anderson said he would be meeting with Judge/Executive Sherman Chaudoin to discuss ways to utilize those funds.

In other business:

• The superintendent reported the commission’s net year-to-date income at $213,302.90, based on a total income of $2,206,883.38 and expenses of $1,993,580.48.

• Anderson said he was working with engineers planning the Wal-Mart Supercenter regarding a water line to the store.

The utility and Wal-Mart may enter a cost-sharing agreement to build a larger line to serve the store and connect to the industrial park water tank, improving the tank’s water turnover, he said.

• Maintenance Foreman James Noel said his crew had completed the installation of about 47 meters downtown, in conjunction with the area’s sidewalk replacement project.

The board commended the maintenance crew for their efforts.