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Your Water Meter As it is a requirement to have a water meter connected, Council supplies and installs a meter with every connection. To allow for maintenance and reading, you must provide access to your meter at all reasonable times.
Installation of new Smart Meters
Installation of new Smart MetersWater is a precious natural resource and one that we should use carefully and wisely. To help conserve water Council is in the process of replacing outdated manual read water meters in your community by installing new Smart Water Meters. Your new Smart meter is a standard water meter connected to a device that allows electronic reading of the meter. A Smart meter is capable of being read remotely and upon inspection you will notice the water meter has an additional box structure attached. This is the digital or telemetering box which allows the remote reading of the meter. Council has decided to install smart meters for a number of reasons. The remote read capabilities of Smart meters offer a faster and more efficient reading method than conventional meters and as such allows for more regular read periods, if required, to assist residents in managing their water usage. Smart meters are accurate and can assist with the early detection of leaks reducing undetected water loss. With the installation of Smart meters Council aims to reduce water loss by up to ten per cent per annum. By continuing to use water carefully and wisely we can delay the major expense of constructing additional infrastructure such as bores, pipe lines, and water treatment plants. Council has developed a 10 year plan to replace all manual read water meters with new Smart Meters.
Council plans to install smart meters in the following communities by the end of 2010: Miles, Kogan, Brigalow, Condamine, Wandoan, Dulacca, The Gums, Moonie, Flinton, Glenmorgan, Westmar, Kaimkillenbun. Water meters in the communities of Tara, Meandarra, Jimbour, Bell and Warra are due to be replaced by 2011. Jandowae meters replaced by 2012 and Chinchilla fully replaced by 2013. Dalby meters will be fully replaced by 2018.
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| This meter is reading 60.699 kilolitres |
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| This meter is reading 29.7561 kilolitres |
Do You Know How Much Water You Are Really Using?
With households paying water used it is important to know your individual water consumption.
The more water you save the more money you save on water and electricity costs.
- Read your water meter now, and again at the same time of the day exactly one week later to calculate your average daily water usage.
- Take the second reading away from the first reading to get your 7-day usage.
- Divide this figure by 7 and then divide by the number of people in your household.
- Now you have your average daily water use per person.
- Now compare this average to Councils restriction level target.
Water Meter Accuracy
If you require your water meter to be tested to verify the accuracy, an application and the pre-payment of the fee must be lodged with Council.
To request a special water meter reading please contact Council's Engineering Department on (07) 4669 9000.
The following fees apply to water meter testing:
| ON-SITE Standard Water Meter Accuracy Test | 20mm meter only (tested on-site) | $ 30.00 |
| OFF-SITE Standard Water Meter Accuracy Test | 20mm meter only (meter removed) | $ 160.00 |
| Non Standard Water Meter Accuracy Test | meters above 20mm | at quoted cost |
Water meter accuracy fee is refunded if the water meter is found to be faulty. | ||
Damaged or Leaking Water Meter
If your water meter is damaged, unable to be turned off or you suspect a leak please contact Council's Engineering Department on (07) 4669 9036 as soon as possible or complete and submit the water leak report by clicking on the link below .
Report water leak/meter problem
One of Council's plumbers will investigate the problem and undertake any required repairs.
Residents are responsible for the connection from their water meter to their property. Council maintains the water meter and connection back to the main infrastructure.
Interference with water meters is an offence. Likewise the property owner is responsible for the cost of repair of water meters when meters are damaged by vehicles, lawn mowers etc.
Water meters must always be accessible to Council officers. The owner is also responsible for all of the installation after the water meter.
Often it is difficult to tell if you have a leak. So key signs of a leak include:
- an unusual green patch of turf near the meter or on the footpath
- moisture around the meter or a wet patch on the footpath
- water laying in the roadway (outside of rainfall events)
- sound of running water in a stormwater drain (outside of rainfall events)
Council operates a leak detection program and is committed to reducing unaccounted for water.
The broad goals that Council aims to achieve in respect of water loss management are:
- reduced leakage levels;
- to minimise the cost of operating the water supply;
- to defer capital expenditure on augmentation works; and
- to ensure that water tariffs are equitable for consumers.
Special Water Meter Reading
If you require your water meter to be read outside of Council regular reading schedule an application and the pre-payment of the fee must be lodged with Council.
To request a special water meter reading please contact Councils Rates Department on (07) 46672 1143.
The cost of a special water meter read is $32.00.
Spare a thought for the Meter Reader
It only takes a few moments for us to read your water meter but this simple job is sometimes made difficult when we don't have easy access to the meter.
A clear space of at least 300 mm around and 1200 mm above your water meter is required.
Please clear dirt and mulch and prune overgrown plants.
If you have a dog, please display a sign and keep the dog secured away from the meter area.
All we need is a few moments - each year to read your meter.
More Information
For more information on water meters download Council's brochure or contact Council's Engineering Department on (07) 4669 9000.
