Your water meter explained
Meter Location
Water meters are generally installed on the property boundary, where practical and in a position allowing access to the meter for reading, replacing and repairing the meter. For units, rural or commercial properties, this may not be the case. The location of the water meter is at Council’s discretion and must only be installed by Council employees or Council approved contractors.
A person must not connect in any way to Councils water supply system without the approval of Council.
Inaccessible Water Meters
Council needs access to water meters for various reasons including reading the meter and repair or replacement. It is important a water meter is not:
- Buried or with insufficient clearance to pipes
- Encased in concrete
- Behind a locked gate or door
- Obscured by an overgrown garden
- In the same proximity as a dog.
Find out more in Council’s Water and Sewer Group Customer Service Plan.
Ownership and Responsibility
Water meters and water pipes leading from the mains to the meter are the property of Council. Customers are responsible for all water that has passed through the meter and the maintenance and repairs of all water services installed after the water meter.
Meter Reading
The water meter is read by Council contracted meter readers three times a year. Water that has passed through the meter since the last reading will be billed to the property owner. All meters will have dials showing the amount of water that has been consumed since the meter was installed. These dials are coloured black and red, and range from six to nine dials depending on the size and make of your meter.
How to read the water meter
Reading your water meter regularly can identify any changes in the amount of water being used. Finding a problem early can reduce the impact on the water usage account. The water meter is generally located at the front of the property and it records water usage in kilolitres, which is per thousand litres.
By keeping a record of your own water use for different water based activities, you can determine how much water you use every time you do a load a washing or put the dishwasher on. Keep a daily record and multiply the amount by seven (7) and you will have a weekly indication of how much water you use just on these activities.
The image shows a meter and the location of the dials. If the dials are moving water is passing through the meter.
The black numbered dials indicate how many kilolitres of water have passed through the meter. The red numbered dials indicate how many litres have passed through the meter. This meter shows 12345 kilolitres and 678 litres have passed through the meter since installation.
Council uses the black dials only when obtaining a reading from a property.
