Your Water Meter

All water supplied to your property is registered on your water meter.

City West Water is responsible for maintaining the water meter and what is known as the property service pipe for services up to and including 50mm in diameter.

Where there is no meter, or the meter is inaccessible, we are responsible up to and including the first stop tap at your property boundary.

You are responsible for the pipe beyond the water meter leading into your property. If there is no water meter, or the water meter is not situated at the front of your property, you are responsible for the pipe beyond the stop tap, which is located at the property boundary. A stop tap is the valve that controls the flow of water that enters your property.

Owners are responsible for, and also pay all costs for:

• private fire services from and including the first valve immediately after the water supply main
• private extensions or trunk services up to and including the ferrule or ball valve at the connection to our water main
• property services from private extensions
• property service pipes with a diameter of greater than 50mm
• backflow prevention including any devices and required testing (if applicable)
• maintenance of any approved meter pit or cage, installed to protect our water meter.

• Who installs water meters?

  A water meter may be installed at the initiative of City West Water, the property owner or a Body Corporate. Meter installation costs for new properties will be the responsibility of the property owner. Costs for installing new meters in existing properties will be the responsibility of the party that requests the installation. In order to install a meter, you must make application to City West Water and pay the appropriate fee.

  Meters that are installed will be:

  • supplied or approved by City West Water
  • installed in accordance with conditions set by City West Water
  • maintained by City West Water at no extra cost to the customer unless the customer has damaged the meter, made the meter inaccessible or the meter has not been installed in accordance with the conditions set by City West Water
  • owned by City West Water once it has been installed.

• How do you read my meter if it is not accessible (i.e behind a fence)?

  It is your responsibility to ensure that you meter is accessible at all times for reading, testing, inspection and replacement by City West Water.

  If there is no way for your meter to be easily accessible, we may leave a card in your mailbox requesting you to provide a reading to us and failing that, we may estimate your water use charges. Where we estimate your charges, we will make every effort to obtain an actual reading of your meter at least once every 12 months.

  You may, for a fee arrange for a remote meter reading device to be installed. This will allow the meter to be read away from the meter itself, such as on the fence line of the property. We will still require occasional access to the meter for maintenance, replacement and calibration purposes.

• When is my meter read?

  Meter readings are taken once every three months. If you meter is not easily accessible, we will do our best to obtain a reading every three months, however we may need to estimate your water use if we cannot read the meter. We will attempt to gain an actual reading of your water meter at least once every 12 months. We may ask you to provide a meter reading to us if we cannot get to the meter.