Water Meters and Leaks

All water that enters your property from the town water supply is recorded on your water meter.

You can monitor your own water use to avoid any surprises at bill time. It also helps to quickly identify costly water leaks on your property.

Locating your meter

Make sure you know where your water meter is located. In an emergency, such as a burst water pipe on your property, you may need to turn off the water at your meter.

Council's responsibilities

Council is responsible for the water service from Council's water main up to and including the water meter on your property.

In some cases (multi-residential properties) there may also be private water meters to more accurately track water usage by each property. In this instance, Council is only responsible for the single meter servicing the whole property, also called the 'master meter'.

Commercial and industrial properties may have more than one Council-owned master meter.

If your water meter is damaged or faulty contact us.

Using your meter to identify leaks

Identifying leaks on your property is easy and could save you a lot of money:

1. Turn off all taps on the property before going to bed. Make sure you switch off any automatic appliances that use water (garden irrigation, dishwasher, washing machine, evaporative air-conditioner).
2. Take a meter reading, making note of the black and white numbers.
3. Minimise water usage overnight.
4. Check the meter again the next morning to compare the reading. If the meter is reading higher than before the test, then you may have a leak.

If overnight water use is:

• Less than 20L, you may have a small leak and should repeat the test.
• Less than 100L, you may want to contact a plumber to investigate.
• Greater than 100L, you should contact a plumber as soon as possible. You should also turn off the tap at the water meter to minimise further leaks.

What to do if you find a leak

If the water has already passed through the meter it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for any repairs.

If the water hasn’t passed through the meter then the leak is likely to be Council's responsibility. Contact us to report the leak.

If you discover an undetectable leak on your property, you may be eligible for a one-off reduction in your water consumption charges. See save on water charges

Duplex or triplex properties

See water connections/disconnections

Useful links

• Save on water charges
• Meter Reading and Billing Schedule
• Reduction of Water Related Charges due to Undetectable Leakage Application (173kB PDF)
• Reduction of Water Related Charges due to Undetectable Leakage Policy (63kB PDF)