Overview

Reading your water meter will tell you how much water you're using and can help identify if you have a leak. Your water meter records the amount of water you use, just like the odometer on your car records the number of miles you drive. Your meter is never reset. Your water use is measured in cubic feet and is billed in units of hundred cubic feet (HCF). You can view this information online under My Account and on the water meter at your home.

Where is My Water Meter?
 

Most meters are located near the curb in front of your home under a lid labeled WATER. Your water meter is located inside a rectangular concrete box, flush with the ground, and is usually near the roadway or sidewalk. Be careful opening the box as sometimes spiders and snakes like to hide inside meter boxes. Also, the radio that picks up the meter information is connected with a wire that is not very long.

Simply read and record the figures shown in white (123). Subtract your previous reading from this reading to determine your usage in hundreds of cubic feet. To convert your usage to gallons, multiply by 748. To check for leaks, observe the large sweep hand or triangle dial for at least 15 minutes with all water turned off. If there is any movement, there could be a leak.

Each full rotation of the sweep hand indicates one cubic foot, or 7.48 gallons of water. The markings around the outside of the dial indicate tenths and hundredths of one cubic foot. The meter shown reads 123 units or 12,345 cubic feet.

The small triangle may be located in a different location on your meter but still indicates water use through slow sweep hand movement.

To effectively monitor your usage, we suggest you read your meter daily or weekly.