Water Meters
Water meters are part of Council's strategy to understand and manage demand for potable (drinking) water and to protect water quality.
All connections to a Central Otago District Council water supply are now metered. Water meters have been installed to:
- Allow ratepayers to understand their water use
- Help manage demand for treated water
- Provide backflow protection to protect the water supply
- Allocate the cost of water production more fairly
Reduced Demand, Reduced Costs
During the typically hot, dry Central Otago summers, many of us reach for a hose to keep our lawns and gardens green. In peak summer periods as much as 75% of the water being treated is used for irrigation. That's a lot of water and it doesn't come for free.
Reducing demand and the cost of meeting that demand, saves us all money. While many people think managing demand just means using less water, it is also about making sure we are getting maximum benefit from the water we do use. Often just being smarter about water use can lead to a reduction in use. If we use less we pay less.
Water meters mean we can each monitor our water use and pay for it based on actual use. Meters can encourage us to think about how much water we use and whether we can do things differently to avoid wasting water.
See the Water Conservation page for tips on how you can reduce your water use.
Why do we have Water Meters?
A water meter allows you to gauge the amount of water your household or business uses. Your water meter can also help you identify water leaks.
How to Locate and Read your Meter
Am I Responsible for my Meter?
Once a meter is installed it becomes part of the water network and Council is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the meter. The ratepayer is responsible for any pipes on your property after the meter.
The ratepayer must make sure the water meter is visible and accessible. This means the meter can be easily located and accessed in an emergency situation and so Council's meter reader can read your meter.
If the meter reader can't access your water meter, for example, because of a locked gate or overgrown garden, you may be asked to clear the site so a special reading can be made. A charge usually applies for a special meter read.
