STEP 1 Locate your meter box, generally found towards the front of the property, near the street, usually in line with a blue paint line marked on the edge of the road. It is housed in a concrete box or an oval cast iron box. Remove the lid by using a tool such as a large screwdriver or a meter valve tool. Insert the tool into the hole in the lid to pry it off.
STEP 2 Once you open the meter box lid, lift the protective cap on the meter. On the face of the meter, there is a large dial and a display of numbers. For the residential meter, each rotation of the dial measures 10 gallons. Read the number display from left to right. Be sure to include the stationary zero. If the meter has only a digital dispalay and not a dial, natural light or a flashlight will be required to activiate the photocell to display the reading. This is your meter reading. Our meters measure water in gallons only. Charges for the amount of water consumed are rounded to the nearest thousand gallons used during a billing period. Compare that reading to what your bill states as your current or present reading.
STEP 3 Keep in mind that you might be checking your meter on a date different from the one used for billing. This could result in a difference in the amount you find, compared with the amount on which your bill is based. However, if your reading is considerably higher than what is on your bill, check for a leak or try to determine the source of large water use. If your reading is significantly lower than the reading on your bill, please contact us and let us assist you in determining the problem.
