MURRAY River Council (MRC) residents will soon be able to manage their water usage more effectively, with council resolving to replace outdated water meters with new smart water meter technology.

Mayor Cr Chris Bilkey said council was now taking the first steps to replace more than 6500 water meters by entering into an agreement with Taggle Systems to roll out the program over the next 12 months.

"This is one of many actions council is undertaking to better manage our water infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainable outcomes," he said.

"The remote read capabilities of smart meters will offer a faster and more efficient reading method than conventional meters and as such, allows for more regular read periods."

"This means the need for staff to check meters quarterly will be removed as they can be read remotely, delivering more time for staff to pro-actively work on the system and improve response times to maintenance issues."

A smart water meter is a device that automatically records water use, has the ability to electronically report water usage information at regular intervals and provides instant ...