Brockton, Massachusetts is hoping new water billing technology will avoid the snafus plaguing the current system.

The local Enterprise newspaper is reporting that the city’s Water Commission "is changing its billing policies to help up to 9,000 customers who have been undercharged for years and now have been ordered to pay the difference."

Evidently water commissioners are trying to rectify a faulty meter-reading system which, according to the Enterprise, "led to thousands of customers being back-billed for water use they already thought they had paid in full."

And we're not talking a few bucks here and there: "Some of those bills total more than $10,000 and date back 15 years. They were based on estimated water use, rather than actual readings."

One wonders how quick the city will be to refund any overpayments as well. Here, we're holding our breath.

According to city estimates, the newspaper reported, "about one-third of Brockton residents receive estimated water bills when their meters fail, whether from dead batteries, broken touch pads or bad telephone connections."

But they're going to prevent all that, get rid of all the estimations and back-billing with an $11 million system.

One also wonders how long it will be until that system pays for itself.

We're not sure which system Brockton's using, but the idea is catching on. Recently New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (News - Alert) announced the launch of a new system for real-time, online water use and bill tracking for homeowners and businesses in Gotham, claiming it will "allow water customers to analyze their water use, and identify ways to conserve water, reduce water bills and detect leaks."

The launch of the online tool is "the latest component of the citywide conversion to Automated Meter Reading – wireless water meters that transmit water consumption data at least four times per day, ending the use of estimated water bills and giving water customers more accurate and timely records of water usage," according to the mayor's office.

Bloomberg announced the start of installation of the wireless water meters in March of 2009 and more than 380,000 units have already been installed – 46 percent of the City’s 834,000 water customers.