Your Water Meter

Your water meter records the amount of water your household consumes, and this is used to calculate your bill.

Meter Reading

Submit a meter reading

If we cannot access your meter for reading, we will leave a calling card requesting you provide your own meter reading. If we have not heard from you within 2 weeks, an account will be issued based on an average usage of previous accounts. 

You can submit a reading by lodging the below application. You will be required to submit a photo that clearly displays the meter number and meter reading. 

How to read a meter

When we read the meter, we read the black numbers only and then calculate a charge based on the kilolitres used.

Although there are different kinds of meters, they all basically read the same. The below diagram is a guide to how the face of the meter looks.  

meter reading


By reading your water meter regularly you can identify any sudden change in the water use. Identifying a problem early will reduce the impact on the water use component of the account.

Shoalhaven Water recommends that if customers are away or not regularly at their property that the water meter be turned off to prevent water flow to the property. An undetected water leak be costly and can even attract termites.

If you notice your water meter is leaking call us and we will send someone out to repair your meter. Water meter repairs are of no cost to you.

How to identify a leak

To help identify if you have a leak on your property, we have created a simple three-step test:

  • Find the water meter and record the reading. A simple way to do this is to use your phone camera (if you have one) and take a photo. Make sure not to use any water afterwards for a few hours.  
  •  
  • Read the meter again a few hours later making sure no water has been used during the test period.
  •  
  • Compare the two sets of numbers. If they are the same there are no leaks. If they are different, subtract the first reading from the second and the difference will tell you how bad the leak is if water cannot be accounted for.

Detected leaks

If a leak has been detected on the property, call a licensed plumber to fix the leak as soon as possible. The property owner will be charged for any water that passes through the meter, including water lost through leaks.

If a substantial amount of water has gone through the meter because of the leak, and the leak has been repaired by a licensed plumber, eligibility for a rebate might be possible.

For further information on how we may be able to help, follow this link to our Undetected Water Leak Assistance

Report a leaking water meter

Submit our online request form so that we can attend to investigate the problem.

Report a damaged meter

Submit our online request form so that we can attend to investigate the problem.

Report water pressure problem

Depending on the property’s distance from the nearest gravity point and relative height of reservoir location, the average water pressure in our mains is generally between 150-600kpa. 

If your property is in an area at the high end of the scale, then the use of a pressure limiting valve can be installed by a plumber if reduced pressure is preferred. 

Low water pressure can be investigated if you are experiencing:

  • General low water pressure
  • A sudden change in water pressure

Submit our online request form so that we can investigate the problem.