Water meters are here and there’s no escaping it, at least long term. Long Beach Township and Ship Bottom are in the process of rolling out their individual water meter programs, while Barnegat Light officials recently went out to bid on their project. Beach Haven and Harvey Cedars fulfilled their obligations years ago, leaving Surf City as the only Island town without a self-imposed water meter deadline.

The time frame for each town’s water meter project is mandated by its water allocation permit issued by the state…