Your meter box is generally located on the sidewalk or curb next to the street.  It is covered with a heavy lid made of metal, concrete, or a composite material.  To look inside, you can use a screwdriver to provide leverage to pull away the lid.  Be cautious of any insects, reptiles, or any small animals that may have taken residence inside the box.

Checking Your Consumption

To read your meter, look at the straight row of numbers on the dial.  The last two numbers are ignored, as they represent a fraction of one billing unit.  For example, the current read on the meter shown to the left reads 403.

Detecting Leaks

If you have a leak, it usually can be detected at the water meter.  You must first make sure that no one will be using even the smallest amount of water while you are checking for leaks.  Many meters have a small black triangle on the face of the dial.  This is a very sensitive “leak detector.”  Even a small leak will be indicated by a rotating triangle.  If after a few seconds, you see no clear movement, you probably do not have an active leak. It is important to still check your irrigation system for leaks when it is running and your toilet for intermittent leaks, as these may not show as an active leak on the meter.

For meters that have no leak detector, you can use the indicator that looks like the "seconds" hand on a stopwatch.  Make a note of where this hand is pointing, then come back in about 20 minutes.  Do not use any water during this test period.  If the hand has moved, you have a leak.

Checking Your Consumption

To read your digital meter, look at the digits displayed on the main screen. The read you would see on your water bill (the read in hundred cubic feet) is marked with lines above and below the digits. For example, the current read of the meter shown to the left would be 7. If you look closely you will also see a decimal point two more digits after - this marks the read in cubic feet.  

Detecting Leaks

If you have a leak, it usually can be detected at the water meter.  You must first make sure that no one will be using even the smallest amount of water while you are checking for leaks. The advantage of newer digital meters is the ability to detect very small leaks and usage down to 0.01 gallons.  By covering the light sensor on the top of the electronic meter (the small circle above the word 'E-Series' in the photo), the meter will toggle to show the current flow rate through the meter in gallons per minute (gpm). If your meter reads 0.00 gpm, you do not have an active leak. It is important to still check your irrigation system for leaks when it is running and your toilet for intermittent leaks, as these may not show as an active leak on the meter.

Newer digital meters will also show icons based on meter leaks or inactivity. The small dripping faucet icon shown in the photo to the left will appear if the meter detects a leak. The meter will show this icon when it detects water usage at least once every 15-minutes for a 24-hour window or longer.  If you believe that you fix a leak, the leak indicator icon will clear after one 15-minute period of no water usage.

Look on your last bill under the heading “Meter Readings.”  Listed under the word “Present” is your last read.  Subtract that read from the current number that you read off of your meter.  The difference is how many units of water you have used since your last water bill.  Now look on the bill where is says “Service Period.”  The second date under that heading is the date your meter was last read.  The number of days from that date to the present is the number of days that you have been using water since the last read.

If, for example, you have used 2 units in the 10 days since your last read, you can use that information to estimate how much water you may use by the end of the current billing period.  Here is how you do it:  Since there are about 30 days in each billing period, divide 30 by the number of days since the last read (10).  Take that answer (3) and multiply it by the number of units you used since the last read (2).  The answer will be your estimated use.

3 x 2 = 6 

Based on your current rate of use, 6 units is an estimate of the water use that will show up on your next water bill.  You can use our online calculator to determine the dollar amount of this usage.

To perform this measurement you will need a calculator, a stopwatch or wristwatch, a pencil and a piece of paper.  First make sure that no one will be using water during your test, then turn the water fixture on that you wish to measure.  For instance, if you want to measure how much water your back lawn uses, turn on those sprinklers and then go to your meter.  You will be measuring your water consumption for one minute.

For a mechanical meter, each revolution of the "seconds" hand means you have consumed 7.48 gallons.  The dial is divided into 100 points, and also into units of ten.  If you measure water use for one minute, the meter will register how much water you use per minute.  Count the number of points consumed during the minute and treat it as a decimal value of 7.48 gallons.  For instance, if the meter turns 95 points, multiply 7.48 gallons by .95, and you get an answer of 7.106 gallons consumed per minute.  

Newer digital meters have a display mode that will give the current usage in gallons per minute (gpm).  Most of these meters have a sensor on the top of the meter; when covered, the meter will display the rate of consumption if there is water running.

Multiply the rate of water in gallons per minute by the number of minutes you water each time. Your answer will be how many gallons you use each time you water the lawn. For example: 7.106 gpm x 20 minutes = 142.12 gallons consumed each time you water that lawn.

You can convert this number into "billing units" by multiplying the result by the number of times you will water during the 30 day billing period, and then dividing the answer by 748. Using the same example, if you will be watering 12 times during the billing period, your water use in billing units, will be as follows: 142.12 gallons x 12 runs = 1,705.44 gallons during the billing period. Then 1,705.44 gallons / 748 = 2.28 billing units. You can attribute 2.28 units on your next water bill to that area of lawn.