Meter Division

The Meter Division reads over 65,000 water accounts for billing purposes. Of those meters 72% are installed inside of a residence or commercial building. The remaining meters are installed in a meter vault, in the ground, located near the property line.

The department responds to inquiries regarding :

• Low / High water pressure inside the home
• Water leaks from the meter
• Stopped and noisy meter related issues

Appointments are scheduled for those inquiries. When a resident experiences a pressure problem it may be due to a faulty Pressure Reducing Valve ( PRV ). This valve controls the main water pressure coming into the house. It may be the PRV causing the noisy meter/ banging pipe problem as well. This concern should be directed to a plumber, the Meter Department is responsible for the water meter only.

It is important to know the location of the inside water shut-off valve. Having access to this valve can help to minimize damage in the event of a broken water pipe or be useful in a general plumbing repair.

Water dripping from leaking plumbing fixtures can be costly, causing a sudden increase in water and sewer bills and should be addressed as soon as possible. A leak of one drop per second can waste up to 2400 gallons of water a year. A leaking toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons a day.

Water Meter Maintenance Program

In an effort to update our aging infrastructure the County will begin a long-term Water Meter Maintenance Program to replace aging radio transmitters on all Publically served resident's water meters.

The top section of the water meter houses a low power radio transmitter that sends water usage data to meter reading trucks. This data is used to compute water bills. These devices use batteries that are coming to the end of their usefull life of ten years.

The Bureau of Utilities will be replacing the radio transmitter with new units that will be more reliable and have a twenty year life span. Replacement of the entire residential system will take approximately eight years.

If a resident's water meter is inside the home, Utilities staff will be setting up appointments to coordinate the replacement. This change-out should take less than twenty minutes to complete and should not require service interruption. If water meters are located outdoors and property access is not required, no notification will be necessary.

As always, any county employee entering a home should always display official county government identification and arrive in a clearly marked county vehicle.

Click on an image for a detailed view of the two water meter types.
Old type meter		New type meter

Questions can be answered by calling the Bureau of Utilities during normal working hours at 410-313-4900.