Accessing your water meter

In the event of a leak, having clear access to your water meter and being able to turn the meter off quickly and easily will be far more convenient than having to search through the garden for your meter. 

Always keep the area around your meter accessible. 

We may not be able to read your meter if it’s obstructed or overgrown, behind a locked gate or if it is unsafe to enter the property. Hazards that may prevent our meter readers accessing the meter include:

• there is a dog
• overgrown garden or grass
• buried in mulch, concrete or dirt
• obstructed by trees, bushes, or hedges

The photo shown is an example of a water meter that is overgrown preventing access for meter reading purposes.

For everyone's convenience, always keep the area around your meter accessible. 

It is important to provide clear access to and around your water meter should we be required to repair a leak or if we need to replace the meter.

This means keeping a clear path to the meter as well as the area above, below and around your meter. The area should be clear of any hazards, and this includes but is not limited to trees and shrubs, overgrown gardens, mulch, dirt or concrete.

We replace water meters for the following reasons:

• it has stopped working
• the meter dial is unreadable
• the meter is damaged or leaking
• as part of our water meter lifecycle replacement program

Below is an example of a damaged meter.

For meter reading

If we are unable to access your water meter, we will leave a self-read card. You must submit your reading within 14 days; otherwise, an estimated reading will be billed based on past usage.

Our staff will attempt to read your meter at the next scheduled visit. If successful, your actual reading will be recorded. However, if the actual reading is lower than the estimate, no adjustment will be made, and the estimated reading will stand until your actual usage catches up. Once it exceeds the estimated reading, you will be billed for the additional consumption.

For meter maintenance and replacement

If we are unable to access your meter, a letter will be sent to the property owner requesting that you make the meter accessible.

Once you have made the meter accessible, please contact us on 02 4429 3214 (Mon - Fri, 8am - 4pm) and we will arrange for the meter to be replaced by our team.

Good access to a meter is helpful not only for you in the event of a leak, but for us to take a meter reading. 

If we are unable to access your water meter to gain a reading of your water usage, you may receive a card in your letter box requesting the current meter reading. You can submit your meter reading using our online form, simply have your meter number and meter reading ready to go. 

The link below will take you to Council's online request management platform. 

submit online

If you have any questions, please contact us. 

As part of our water meter lifecycle replacement program, we need clear access to safely replace your water meter.

If you have received a notification card in your mailbox, you must clear the area and then contact us to arrange to have the necessary work completed.

If you have any questions, please contact us. 

Any damage to your water meter should be reported as soon as possible so our staff can take a look. If required, we will replace the water meter to maintain continued service. This may include but is not limited to:

• The meter has been runover
• The meter is leaking
• Smashed glass on the meter face
• You are unable to see/read the water meter dials and numbers on the meter face 
• You can’t turn the meter stop valve to stop the flow of water to your property 

Any damage to your internal service pipe (accidental or negligent) that was not caused by us is the responsibility of the property owner, and you will need to seek assistance from a licensed plumber. For example, the internal service pipework has been hit by a mower or whipper snipper, or you suspect an internal leak.

You can report a non-urgent damaged meter using our online meter maintenance and repairs form. The link below will take you to Council's online request management platform. 

Report online

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.