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Your Water Meter

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

Meter Reading

To assist with correct reading of the water meter it is important to ensure that it is always accessible. If your meter cannot be accessed, we will leave a calling card requesting you to provide your own meter reading.

Submit a meter reading

You can submit a reading by taking a photo and emailing us, or you can lodge the reading using our online application below.  

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.

Water pressure

The water pressure provided to the boundary of a property generally between 15 metres and 90 metres head of water. The pressure will depend on the property’s distance from the nearest pump station or gravity point.

For properties located in an area of higher water pressure range, the use of a pressure limiting valve to vary the degree of supply downstream from the water meter is recommended where reduced pressure is preferred. A pressure limiting device can generally be purchased from plumbing supplies or hardware outlets and privately installed downstream of the meter.

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.

What to do if a water leak has been detected

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.