Understanding your water service

Shoalhaven Water is responsible for all water mains located within the Shoalhaven area and this includes hydrant points, water meters and any maintenance or repairs to your service line or connection. 

We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Our hydrant points must be kept accessible and visible for firefighters, and for our operations team when they are conducting maintenance to the system. You will recognise a hydrant point by its bright yellow cover, please keep them free of grass or any other obstructions. To help identify the location of our water mains, look for hydrant lids, stop valve lids, raised reflective markers or marker posts. 

 

A diagram of a property detailing how it is connected to the water main. It is divided by a line indicating the boundary between resident and water utility maintenance responsibilities.

 

As a property owner, you are responsible for understanding your obligations regarding your water service. This includes ensuring safe and unobstructed access to your water meter for meter reading, maintenance, and repair purposes. 

If your water service is unauthorised, defective or has been illegally installed and we believe it could seriously affect our system, we may ask you to fix the problem at your expense.If you do not fix the fault as requested, the work will be undertaken by Shoalhaven Water and the cost passed on to you.

Going on holidays?

If you are going away or are not at your property regularly, we recommend that you turn your water meter off when you leave. This will prevent any unexpected water flow into the property that could cost you money.

 

How to read your water meter

The below diagram is a guide to how the face of the meter looks.

A diagram showing a meter dial and annotations for each number indicating how they are read.

 

When we read the meter, we read the black numbers only and then calculate a charge based on the kilolitres used.

By reading your water meter regularly you can identify any sudden change in the water use. Identifying a problem early will reduce the impact on the water usage component of your water account.

Checking for leaks

Property owners are responsible for paying for the water that goes through their water meter, and this includes water lost through leaking appliances or unexpected leaks. We recommend you review our information on checking for leaks - it will help save water and save you money.

If you have discovered a leak on your property, call a plumber immediately.

Damaged or leaking meters

Any damage to your water meter should be reported as soon as possible. If needed, we will arrange to replace the meter to ensure your water service continues.

This includes, but is not limited to, situations where:

  • the meter has been run over
  • the meter is leaking
  • the meter face glass is smashed
  • the meter dials or numbers are unreadable
  • the stop valve cannot be turned to shut off the water supply

Damage to your internal service pipe that was not caused by us—whether accidental or negligent—is the property owner’s responsibility. In these cases, you’ll need to contact a licensed plumber. Examples include damage from a mower or whipper snipper, or suspected internal leaks.

If the meter requires urgent repairs, please call us on 02 4429 3214 (24/7) so we can get our team out as soon as possible.

For non-urgent damaged or leaking meters use our online Report a Problem form. 

Report a problem

Should you experience an emergency, call us immediately on 02 4429 3214.

All non-urgent matters can be submitted through our online service.

The button below will take you to Council's online request management system. 

Report a Problem

 

 

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